2026 Teacher of the Year Banquet

The 2026 Teacher of the Year Banquet, the 39th anniversary of this celebration of education, was held on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at the Yuma Civic Center. Attendees walked the red carpet upon entering the venue with over 700 guests in attendance.

Our newest Estelle Dingus Hall of Fame Honoree, Yuma native and Yuma High grad, Jason Maas, gave an uplifting speech about his education in Yuma schools. He currently is the coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He is best known for his playing career as a quarterback with the Edmonton Eskimos where he won two Grey Cup championships. He also played for the Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The evening culminated in the naming of Hannah Martinez as the 2026 Yuma County Teacher of the Year. Congratulations are in order, not only for Hannah, a 3rd grade teacher at Palmcroft Elementary, but also for the following Category Winners:

• Primary: Claudia Alvarez, C.W. McGraw Elementary
• Intermediate/Special Area: Teresa Teeter, Alice Byrne Elementary
• Junior High/Middle School: Jonathan Bailey, Gila Vista Junior High
• High School: Gregory Brown, Gila Ridge High School
• Arizona Western College Full-time: Monica Ketchum-Cárdenas, Professor of History
• Arizona Western College Part-time: Shara Skinner, Adjunct Professor of Psychology
• Northern Arizona University in Yuma Full-time: Dr. Mónica Acosta Alvarado, Asst. Professor of Business Administration
• Northern Arizona University in Yuma Part-time: Bertha Mendoza Ávila, Adjunct Faculty Criminal Justice Administration

View photos from last year's Teacher of the Year Banquet.