The Mobile County school system named two educators as its Teachers of the Year, honoring a Kate Shepard Elementary School teacher and a B.C. Rain High School teacher for their work in the classroom.
Laniese Howard, a gifted education teacher at Kate Shepard Elementary, and Don Jones, who teaches aerospace technology within B.C. Rain High School’s Aviation and Aerospace signature academy, were selected as this year’s honorees. School administrators surprised both teachers by showing up unannounced in their classrooms to deliver the news, a tradition many districts use to celebrate top educators in front of their own students.
Howard and Jones were formally recognized at a Mobile County school board meeting later in January, where the district publicly honored their contributions to students and their schools. Both teachers were also set to move on to statewide competition, representing Mobile County as nominees for Alabama Teacher of the Year.
The selection process for Mobile County’s Teacher of the Year award draws from nominees submitted by individual schools across the county. This year’s finalists were narrowed down by a committee made up of school principals, central office administrators, and former Teachers of the Year, reflecting a peer-driven process meant to recognize educators who stand out among their colleagues.
Howard’s focus on gifted education places her among the teachers responsible for identifying and nurturing academically advanced students within Mobile County’s elementary schools, a role that requires specialized training beyond a standard classroom certification. Jones’s work in B.C. Rain’s Aviation and Aerospace academy reflects the high school’s signature academy model, which is designed to give students exposure to career-focused coursework in fields tied to the aerospace and aviation industries that have a growing presence in the Mobile area, including at Airbus’s final assembly line and related suppliers.
Recognitions like these are part of a broader effort by Mobile County Public Schools to highlight strong teaching across a large and diverse district that includes dozens of elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Mobile area. Naming a Teacher of the Year from both the elementary and high school levels each cycle allows the district to spotlight educators working with very different age groups and subject areas, from foundational gifted instruction to specialized technical training tied to regional industry needs.
Both Howard and Jones now advance to the statewide Alabama Teacher of the Year selection process, where they will represent Mobile County alongside honorees nominated by school systems across Alabama.