Over 600 people gathered in a Gainesville church for the Alachua County Teacher of the Year celebration Thursday night.
The annual event honors exceptional teachers from every elementary, middle and high school countywide.
Monica Benson, an Exceptional Student Education teacher at Sidney Lanier Center, was a finalist for the high school category. She won the 2025 award.
She’s worked in ACPS for nearly a decade and started as an intern at Sidney Lanier.
Over 35 teacher finalists were also recognized during the event, one for every elementary, middle and high school in the district. Each finalist received a $500 prize, a “crystal apple” award and a gift basket.
The three finalists for each category were introduced by former students, who spoke about each’s impact on them. Since most of Benson’s students are nonverbal, pictures from her students’ classroom experiences were shown instead.
Benson said the award “means the world to her.”
“Students with exceptionalities … they need to be empowered for who they are,” she said. “This whole award is for them.”
Petrina Leggon, assistant principal of Sidney Lanier, is a former ACPS teacher of the year. She said Benson’s teaching style “focuses on the child first.”
“She will build the whole community and support everyone,” she said. “We’re just very excited for such a deserving person.”
Each category finalist gave a speech to the crowd. Natalie Watkins, a seventh grade math teacher at Fort Clarke Middle School, was the finalist for the middle school category. She’s taught math and science at ACPS since 2016.
In tears, Watkins shared the biggest lessons she’s learned from her career in teaching.
“Developing a relationship with a student will have much of a greater impact on their life than their academic gains,” she said. “Grace must be given to be received.”
Vanessa Lind, a second grade teacher at Glen Springs Elementary school, was the finalist for the elementary category. Lind started teaching in South Africa. After immigrating to the United States, she’s taught in California, Texas and ACPS.
In her speech, she detailed her journey of over 25 years through education and discussed the five “pathways to greatness in education,” including resilience in the face of challenges.
“Success doesn't belong to those who never fail, but belong to those who are able to get up, learn from their mistakes and to keep moving forward,” she said. “There is no substitute for consistent effort.”
ACPS Superintendent, Kamala Patton, said she hoped the night showed how celebrated the teaching profession is.
“We value them collectively but also individually,” she said. “[This night] elevates a great profession.”
The ACPS Teacher of the Year program started in 1992, and was established by Robert W. Hughes.
Monica Benson will go on to represent Alachua County in the statewide Teacher of the Year program, normally held during late July.
Contact Sara-James Ranta at sranta@alligator.org. Follow her on X @sarajamesranta.
Sara-James Ranta is a third-year journalism major, minoring in sociology of social justice and policy. Previously, she served as a general assignment reporter for The Alligator's university desk.
