Mayor Bowser announces 2025 DC Teacher of the Year

WASHINGTON — Stanton Elementary School teacher Jazzmyne Townsend has been named 2025’s D.C. Teacher of the Year, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced at a surprise event Thursday.

Townsend started last year as a special education teacher at Stanton, an elementary school in Ward 8. Now, she serves as a K-5 English language arts (ELA) instructional coach at the school. But she’s been teaching since 2010. She previously taught at Randle Highlands Elementary School for ten years, and worked at Friendship Public Charter School’s Chamberlain Campus for three years before that.

And she has done a lot beyond the classroom. At Randle Highlands, she started a “My Sister’s Keeper” program after noticing many girls struggling with challenges both in and out of the classroom, according to a release. At Stanton, she has taken on leadership roles and created community-based learning opportunities for students.

When Townsend was applying for D.C. Teacher of the Year, she put emphasis on striving for equity in all decisions and interactions with students. 

“A key to actualizing this reality is understanding the context in which our students live. Many of our students face challenges outside of school that impact their ability to learn,” Townsend wrote in the application. “As teachers, we must be empathetic and proactive in addressing these challenges.” 

On Thursday, Bowser, along with Interim State Superintendent Antoinette S. Mitchell, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee and Stanton Elementary students and staff surprised Townsend at school with the honor.

“When we talk about how our children are challenged and loved in our schools, it is because of teachers like Ms. Townsend who go above and beyond to make sure our students feel seen and cared for,” Bowser said in a press release. “We all look forward to cheering her on as she participates in the 2025 National Teacher of the Year program.”

As D.C. Teacher of the Year, Townsend also will receive $5,000 to go toward professional development opportunities during her one-year term.

She is also now in consideration for the 2025 National Teacher of the Year Award, run by the Council of Chief State School Officers.  

There were also three finalists: French teacher Kiara McCalvin of Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science; kindergarten teacher Rahshita Lowe-Watson of John Francis Education Campus; and special education teacher Andrea Baker Barnes-Johnson of Anacostia High School.