Elizabeth Heist, a music teacher at Lake Shore Elementary School for 11 years, tonight was named the 2024 Anne Arundel County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. The announcement came at the culmination of the 38th annual Excellence in Education Awards held at the Live! Event Center at Arundel Mills.
Heist has spent her entire AACPS career at Lake Shore and is the first teacher from the school to win the award. She is only the second teacher from the Chesapeake cluster to win it, joining Skip Lee of Chesapeake High School (2004-05).
“I am blessed to have had so many champions throughout my life,” Heist told the crowd of more than 650 people gathered for the event. “I wouldn’t have gotten to this point without each and every one of them.”
Heist is a graduate of Grove City College in Pennsylvania. As she accepted her award, she thanked her college band director and other professors for helping to inspire her musical journey.
“They taught me to always put relationships and connections first and the rest would eventually fall into place,” she said.
AACPS has had three of the last seven Maryland Teacher of the Year winners: Mary Kay Connerton of Annapolis High School (2023), Teresa Beilstein of South Shore Elementary School (2020) and Josh Carroll of South River High School (2018). AACPS Teachers of the Year have also been finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year in eight of the last nine years.
Heist urged those in the crowd and those watching on AACPS’ live stream of the event to seek out every opportunity to help children.
“No matter your role in education – student, caregiver, administrator, secretary, custodian, educator, or something else – take the time to make connections a priority,” she said. “Set high expectations and make the small moments count.”
In all, 69 teachers from public and private schools, four principals, and an education support professional were recognized during this year’s Excellence in Education program. Other finalists for this year’s Anne Arundel County Public Schools Teacher of the Year honor were:
- Patrick Alexander, instrumental music, Piney Orchard Elementary School
- Jesse Bragg, math, Meade Middle School
- Amy Chitwood, special education, Ridgeway Elementary School
- Kellie Skinner, special education, Annapolis High School
Tiffany Wenck, teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School, was named 2024 Independent Schools Teacher of the Year. Clinton Kittrell, a teacher at The Summit School, was the other finalist for the award.
Also at the event, Tracey’s Elementary School Principal Heather Garris was honored with the George Arlotto Leadership Award as the 2023-2024 Principal of the Year and Jean Dunaway of the Infants and Toddlers Program was honored as the Educational Support Professional of the Year.