HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii Department of Education announced the 2026 Teacher of the Year.

A ceremony took place Friday at Washington Place in Honolulu.

This year’s winner is Judith “Elise” Hannigan, an English teacher at Keaau High School on Hawaii Island.

“In my mind, there was really no way that me from little old Keaau High School was going to be the Teacher of the Year,” she said. “So when they announced my name, I was like, there’s no possible way that that happened with everybody who was around me.”

Hannigan was among 15 Complex Area Teachers of the Year and Charter School Teachers of the Year recognized Friday out of 13,000 HIDOE educators across the state.

HIDOE superintendent Keith Hayashi said Hannigan’s “holistic approach to student success, particularly with Ke

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