2 Central Texas teachers make list of finalists for 2025 Teacher of the Year

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Association of School Administrators, or TASA, on Wednesday released its list of finalists for the 2025 Teacher of the Year program, and two of them are from the Central Texas area.

Two teachers listed under the Secondary Teacher of the Year category teach in the greater Austin area.

The three finalists for Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year are Christine Mihealsick from Westwood High School in Round Rock ISD, Darla Morrow from James R. Brooks Middle School in Greenwood ISD and Melissa Farias Zúñiga from New Braunfels High School in New Braunfels ISD.

Christine Mihealsick teaches Advanced Placement (AP) environmental science and serves as the science department chair at Westwood High School in Round Rock ISD.

According to TASA, Mihealsick has also taught environmental systems, chemistry, anatomy and biology at Westwood. From 2002 to 2007, she taught chemistry and biology at Crockett High School in Austin ISD.

"As a teacher I’m an inherent optimist in the potential of humanity," she said. "I believe I can help everyone who walks through my door improve — in their science lab skills, in their writing skills, in their peer collaboration abilities, in their confidence in themselves to do challenging advanced science coursework."

Mihealsick was named Round Rock ISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year in May. 

Melissa Farias Zúñiga is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at New Braunfels High School in New Braunfels ISD.

When she was 13, Zúñiga co-founded Melissa’s Mexican Folk Dance Company for children and instructed for five years. According to TASA, Zúñiga began her career in public education in 2014 as an ESL paraprofessional and earned her alternative certification in English. She taught ESL and English at the New Braunfels Ninth Grade Center before moving to the high school in 2022.

"Walls do not contain what is in the heart and soul, nor should they be barriers for growth and success," she said. "Connecting students with their community has developed into a pillar of my teaching. These connections enrich students’ learning experiences and help them develop a sense of self, belonging and responsibility."

Zúñiga was named Campus Teacher of the Year in 2018 at the New Braunfels Ninth Grade Center and again in 2024 at New Braunfels High School. 

“Texas teachers perform miracles every day as they inspire children even in the most challenging of times,” said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA, which has coordinated the Texas Teacher of the Year program since 2011. “Public school teachers are critical to the success of individual children and our society as a whole. Those who choose to teach are national heroes, and these six finalists are the best among them. They have distinguished themselves among thousands of outstanding, dedicated teachers across our nation have who have answered the call to serve."

The finalists for Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year are Kevin Criss, Cambridge Elementary School, Alamo Heights ISD; JoMeka Gray, Kennedy-Powell Elementary School, Temple ISD; and Kristi Leff, Humphrey's Highland Elementary School, Amarillo ISD.

Read more about the finalists on TASA's website.

Processing of selecting Teacher of the Year

According to TASA, a panel of judges composed of representatives of Texas teacher associations and last year’s Texas Teacher of the Year finalists selected the finalists from the 40 Texas Regional Teachers of the Year — one elementary and one secondary teacher from each of the 20 Texas Education Service Center regions.

The six finalists will be interviewed Oct. 24 by a panel of judges made up of representatives of educational leadership associations, community and business leaders, a member of the State Board for Educator Certification, a member of the State Board of Education and prior Texas Teachers of the Year.

The panel will select two state-level winners — Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year — and designate one to represent Texas in the National Teacher of the Year program. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony Oct. 25 at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Round Rock, where the 40 Regional Teachers of the Year will also be recognized.

The Texas Teacher of the Year program started in 1969. The program, facilitated by TASA since 2011, annually recognizes and rewards teachers who have "demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching."