Fairmont teacher named WV Teacher of the Year finalist

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — Schools may be out for students, but teachers across the state are still getting recognized for their hard work as the West Virginia Department of Education has announced five finalists for Teacher of the Year, and one of them works right here in north central West Virginia.

“It’s very exciting, but then again, I always think you know, there are many other teachers that could be just as good as me, or are as good as me. So I don’t know, it’s just—it’s a very different feeling, it’s exciting but then again, why me?” said Krista Blankenship, a third-grade teacher at Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Fairmont.

Blankenship was nominated by two people, one of them being a fellow teacher and colleague. Blankenship has 18 years of teaching experience and told 12 News her favorite part is working with her students and their families while giving students real-life experiences in the classroom.

“Hands-on is always the best approach, we try to get that in the classroom as much as I can. This past year I called somebody to try and do ‘Trout in the classroom’ and we ended up getting a very large trout tank in my classroom and we raised trout for quite some time and ultimately the tank failed, but it all in all was a learning experience, it was a lot of fun,” said Blankenship.

Another project Blankenship spearheaded was getting a grant for a school-wide high tunnel. Blankenship said if she wins the award, she would like to spread the positive impact public schools have.

“I cherish the time I’ve been a teacher and the impact that I’ve made on my students, and I really think that we need to share the positivity with people, you know. Just with teachers, colleagues, the public. Public school is a wonderful thing,” said Blankenship.

The winner of the 2025 West Virginia Teacher of the Year will be announced later this year.

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