The Teacher of the Year award recognizes and honors the contributions of outstanding classroom teachers who demonstrate a superior capacity to inspire a love of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities. The district’s Teacher of the Year represents Orange County at the state level to compete for Florida Teacher of the Year.
Congratulations to the 2023-24 Teacher of the Year!
Sara Hudson, 5th grade ELA teacher
Prairie Lake Elementary
A teacher with 11 years of experience, Hudson creates a culture of high expectations in her classroom. In addition to bringing Level 1 students up to proficiency in a single year, she has helped her students go beyond reading standards by discussing topics such as immigration, health care and climate change. She creates a welcoming environment with monthly family nights and develops deep relationships with students that last well beyond their time in her classroom. She leads the school’s Cheer Committee and plans events. And in her grade-chair role, she pushes teachers to help their students excel, increasing fifth-grade ELA scores to above the district average. She has facilitated PLCs and now hosts monthly professional development sessions. Always willing to jump in, she helped create a house system that transformed the culture at a previous school, and also helped shape district science assessments.