Three teachers have been named finalists for the 2025–2026 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Teacher of the Year, the school system announced on Wednesday.
They are: Meredith Luther, kindergarten teacher at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School; Megan Campbell, instrumental music teacher at Parkland Middle School; and Pete Beach, social studies teacher at Richard Montgomery High School. More on each teacher per MCPS:
“Every morning, Meredith Luther, kindergarten teacher at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School, begins class with a series of affirmations to set the tone for the day: “I am kind, I am smart, I am funny, I am a friend, I am a leader, I am important, I am safe, I am loved.”
She believes that this helps her students build confidence in themselves. Luther demonstrates and models that doing your best does not look the same for everyone. She works with students to help them set different goals and to understand that difficult doesn’t mean impossible.
Megan Campbell, instrumental music teacher at Parkland Middle School, began teaching in MCPS in 2015.
Campbell holds high expectations for her students. When arriving at Parkland in 2020, during the pandemic, her vision was to bring Parkland ensembles to MCPS musical adjudications, something the school had not attended in years. She believes that student musicians have risen to the occasion—working hard to learn instruments, rehearsing with peers, finding the courage for performances and, instead of taking a break the day after a concert, wanting to learn new music.
Campbell believes that all students can learn music. She started her MCPS career at John F. Kennedy High School, where she taught band, orchestra, guitar and International Baccalaureate music, as well as leading marching band, pep band, jazz band, and pit orchestra and chamber ensembles. She grew that program, introduced them to the competitive marching band world and led the Marching Cavaliers to fourth in the state in their division at the state championships.
At Richard Montgomery High School, Pete Beach’s social studies classroom is a community. One of his greatest strengths is his skill in engaging students of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Whether teaching students with varying learning styles, language barriers or different academic levels, he adapts his instruction to meet their needs. His ability to tailor teaching for students who have found great success in school and for those who have struggled has been recognized by leaders and colleagues. He had been tapped by the county to train other new Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History teachers and has advised middle school teachers on how best to prepare students for the rigors of AP coursework. At the same time, his classroom has been praised as a model for inclusion teaching and learning for students with behavioral challenges.
His U.S. History class consistently stands out as one of the most memorable experiences for students at Richard Montgomery, where Beach has taught since 2001. He is kid-focused and has a knack for making history come alive, sparking curiosity and inspiring critical thinking—an impressive feat for a population who may prefer to focus on their phones.”
More on each teacher can be found here.