The Colorado Department of Education announced 22 teachers have been selected as semifinalists for Colorado’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, including Teri Kopack from Durango High School.
Kopack has been an educator for 21 years and currently serves as the English department chair at DHSl. She is also a member of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team. Kopack holds a master’s degree in linguistically and culturally diverse learners from Adams State University and is driven by a strong belief in the power of education to forge paths for all students.
The 22 semifinalists were selected from a pool of 419 Teacher of the Year applicants representing 106 school districts across Colorado.
The 22 semifinalists will move to the second part of the application process, which includes additional questions. The Colorado Department of Education will announce its 2026 Teacher of the Year finalists in September and name a winner in October.
Colorado’s 2026 Teacher of the Year will represent the state’s more than 55,000 educators at the state and national levels, and will become Colorado’s nominee for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program. The winner will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., and receive a $5,000 award from the Boettcher Foundation.
For more information, visit www.cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/teacheroftheyear.
