Twinsburg teacher named finalist for 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year honors

A Twinsburg High School English teacher was recently named one of the four finalists for Ohio Teacher of the Year .

Daneé Pinckney was selected as Regional State Board District 10 Teacher of the Year.

According to the Twinsburg City Schools , Pinckney started her teaching career in Columbus after graduating from Ohio State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Middle Childhood Education. Pinckney also earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology from Ashland University.

Pinckney, who lives in Stow, said that she was at a friend's house when she heard the news. The finalists were announced during a Zoom call.

"They just announced the four names, and mine was the last name," Pinckney said. "I was just having a little heart attack. The moment I found out about the other teachers, I went to look at their bios, and I was blown away. There were so many phenomenal teachers."

Superintendent Kathryn Powers said Pinckney always seeks new opportunities to challenge herself.

"She created a senior-level course on African American Literature, addressing a need for representation sought by both students and community members," Powers said. "She obtained grant funding to support its implementation, and her efforts have enriched educational experiences for all students and staff. Using literature as the anchor, Ms. Pinckney works to encourage students’ engagement in community service and activism projects instilling in them a sense of social responsibility and civic engagement."

Pinckney said the Twinsburg school district has a significant Black population, especially from the Twinsburg Heights community in Twinsburg Township.

About 19% of the district's students are Black, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

"What we noticed after some research is our curriculum was not representative of our population," Pinckney said. "It was mostly male, mostly white."

The African American literature class started as an elective, Pinckney said. The second year it was offered, it became a 12th-grade English option, and has grown since.

Powers said Pinckney's students most recently collaborated with students in Ghana and led a schoolwide project building global community and empathy.

Pinckney said she want to keep working on having students have opportunity to make global opportunities.

"That is one thing students have written back to me about," she said. Pinckney said that in the future, she wants to take on more leadership roles, helping with teacher retention and recruitment, especially expanding in diversity.

Previous honors Pinckney has received include her recognition as a Master Teacher Finalist by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and being named the 2023 Twinsburg City Schools Teacher of the Year and a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow.

"We are Tiger Proud of Ms. Pinckney and we wish her the best as she continues in the State Board of Education's Teacher of the Year state-level recognition program," Powers said.

In addition to teaching, Pinckney said she likes to travel. Last year, she visited Ghana, Togo, and Benin. This summer, she went to the Galapagos Islands with her mother, who also is a teacher.

The 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year will be announced at the beginning of the school year, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

Selected teachers move through two levels of recognition: the State Board District Teacher of the Year as a regional recognition, and the Ohio Teacher of the Year as the state-level recognition.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Twinsburg teacher named finalist for 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year honors