2025 Outstanding Secondary New Teacher Award Process

Nominating a candidate for the Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award begins at the school level through each school's awards liaison. The liaison provides information about the nomination process and deadlines. 

Who Is Eligible

• Any FCPS employee or community member can nominate a new teacher for this award, but employees may not nominate themselves. Eligible candidates must be within the first three years of teaching and must also be aware of and in agreement with this nomination. 

Award Criteria 

Nominees must be new teachers who:

• Instill in students a desire to learn and achieve.
• Understand the individual needs of students, encourage their talents, and foster their self-esteem.
• Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of their subject matter and the ability to share it effectively with students.
• Foster cooperative relationships and engage with their colleagues and the community.
• Demonstrate outstanding leadership.
• Foster an environment where diversity in all of its forms is valued and appreciated and demonstrate keeping equity at the center of their work.

Who Can Nominate

• Any FCPS employee, student, or community member can nominate a teacher for the Outstanding Secondary New Teacher award. 
• All nominations must be submitted through their school’s awards liaison.
• Teachers may not nominate themselves.

How To Nominate

• Any FCPS employee, student, or community member can nominate a teacher for the Outstanding Secondary New Teacher award. 
• All nominations must be submitted through their school’s awards liaison.
• Teachers may not nominate themselves.

The Selection Process

• All schools will conduct a local nomination process to determine their Outstanding Secondary New Teacher. The Outstanding Secondary New Teacher from each school advances to the pyramid level, where a Pyramid Secondary New Teacher is selected to advance to the region level. The Region Outstanding Secondary New Teacher is selected from each group of pyramid-level winners and is a finalist for the award. The overall 2025 FCPS Outstanding Secondary New Teacher is chosen from this group of finalists.

Awards and Recognition

• All school-level honorees will be recognized. The 2025 FCPS Outstanding Secondary New Teacher will be announced at the FCPS Honors event and will each receive $4000.  In recognition of collaborative teamwork, the FCPS award winner and their colleagues will also receive a celebration at their worksite. 

Questions

• Please contact the school's awards liaison.