Inspirational teachers dedicated to helping students succeed are being honored by Greenfield-Central schools.
Each of GC’s eight buildings announced a Teacher of the Year award winner, and a corporation-wide winner will be selected in the coming months.
This year’s honorees are Brent Oliver, who teaches English at Greenfield-Central High School; Grant Wood, a math teacher at Greenfield Central Junior High School; Jessica Torres, a resource teacher at Greenfield Intermediate School; Natalie Rasi, a resource teacher at Maxwell Intermediate School; Chrissy Heller, related arts teacher at Eden Elementary School; Anessa Gross, third grade teacher at Harris Elementary School; Erin Stevens, physical education teacher at J.B. Stephens Elementary School; and Bri Brechbuhl, third grade teacher at Weston Elementary School.
Honorees will be formally recognized in July at the 2026 back-to-school staff event. There, honorees receive a monetary gift from the Greenfield Central School Foundation and an overall winner is announced, with a chance for statewide recognition.
Dr. Harold Olin, superintendent of GC schools, says it is very difficult to choose an overall winner with such an outstanding list of dedicated professionals to choose from.
“It is an absolute honor to read the teacher portfolios each year,” Olin said. “It reinforces what I already know: that we have an amazing group of educators in all of our schools. Our teachers demonstrate amazing dedication to student learning every day in the classroom, and our best teachers manifest a commitment to growing their own professional capacity as well.”
Honorees inspire students to imagine, explore and achieve, said Dan Jack, director of human resources for GC.
Winners demonstrate a commitment to students and their learning. They motivate students to learn and achieve at a high level, and are also role models as they demonstrate a commitment to the teaching profession through personal growth and continuous learning. They also consistently exceed public expectations of students, parents and administrators.
“Each year when we see the building teacher of the year winners, we are reminded of the incredible teachers that work with our students every day. The group this year is no different,” Jack said. “Our teachers exemplify educational excellence through their unwavering dedication to student success. These educators go beyond classroom instruction to inspire students to reach their full potential, while continually advancing their own professional practice. They have earned the deep respect and appreciation of students, parents, and administrators alike through their consistent excellence and commitment to both their students and the teaching profession.”
The building winners had been selected by their peers. Winning teachers are asked to complete an application for the corporation’s overall Teacher of the Year award, which requires two letters of recommendation with one being from a parent. From there, a committee made up of administrators score applications with a rubric and choose a winner.
Each building winner earns $200; the overall winner receives $1,000. The foundation also gives the apple-shaped trophies, a tangible recognition that teachers can proudly display in their classrooms.
The Greenfield Central School Foundation, the nonprofit agency that connects the community to the schools through charitable giving, contributes $2,500 toward the awards every year.
“It’s important to recognize building winners for Teacher of the Year because it reminds everyone that extra effort, compassion and dedication don’t go unnoticed,” said Ginny Brown, director of the GCSF. “By celebrating them, it’s saying those things are as important as test scores and outcomes. These teachers model what’s possible, raising the bar and creating a ripple effect among peers.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
Honorees will be formally recognized in July at the 2026 back-to-school staff event. There, honorees receive a monetary gift from the Greenfield Central School Foundation and an overall winner is announced, with a chance for statewide recognition.