Teacher at Pasco High, Gabriela Whitemarsh, found out she had been invited to compete for Washington State Teacher of the Year on Saturday morning, September 24th, which highlights and acknowledges teachers in the region, selecting them to be Washington State’s teacher of the year.
And on Friday, September 26th, Whitemarsh won.
“Having the opportunity to represent my fellow teachers as the representative for Washington State was an enormous surprise and is such a huge honor,” says Whitemarsh. “I had no expectation of winning, so when my name was called, I was in complete shock – visible on my face in the video. Throughout the weekend and this week, there are still times when it does not feel real. My biggest hope is that I am able to represent our Pasco community well and that this recognition shines a positive light on how great it is to be in Pasco. It is an honor to teach where I graduated from, and it gives me great joy to represent my community.”
Gabriela Whitemarsh has been teaching at Pasco High for nine years, starting her tenth this year, and worked as a director for a tutor center at CBC for nine years previously. She had always wanted to be a teacher after her experiences with her own teachers helping guide her through the American education system, and she wanted to help others like she had been helped.
Whitemarsh currently serves as the Multilingual Department Chair and Bilingual Facilitator at Pasco High School, and mentors her colleagues and current and former students. She does what she can to break through language barriers and include every student in learning.
In an article titled, Gabriela Whitemarsh Named 2026 State Teacher of the Year and Maryan Abdow Named 2025 Classified School Employee of the Year, by Kate Payne, Superintendent Chris Reykdal states, “Each year, this event gives us the opportunity to recognize teachers and classified employees that represent the best of what our public schools do for their students. Gabriela helps students who are new to the U.S. continue to advance in math without allowing language to be a barrier, and Maryan connects students and their families with resources to support their basic needs so they can focus on learning. These educators are deeply committed to ensuring their students’ lifelong success, and I am honored to recognize them and our regional winners today.”
In the same article, Principal Veronica Machado said, “Over the past eight years, she [Whitemarsh] has demonstrated her unwavering commitment to her students’ success and her ability to inspire a genuine love for mathematics in her classroom. Her creativity, collaboration with peers, and innovative approach to teaching have set her apart as a true leader in education.”
In my time in her classroom [as a student], she interacts with the class effectively, and there have been kids engaging with her teachings, not afraid to ask questions, and actually learning the material being taught. I’ve always been averse to asking teachers questions because I’m simply stubborn. Mrs. Whitemarsh makes me feel comfortable with asking for help with things I’m not sure about, and I feel she absolutely deserves to be Teacher of the Year, seeing how effectively she teaches.
You can nominate your favorite teacher next year for Teacher of the Year using the Educator of the Year nomination form. The teacher is only eligible if they’re currently teaching and planning to continue to teach for at least two more years, according to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction website. Teachers are selected by the state selection committee, which uses the written application, interviews, and a short keynote to decide which candidate best exemplifies the Teacher of the Year criteria. They are eligible if the teacher has the respect of their community, is knowledgeable in their field and guides students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve excellence, collaborates with colleagues, students, and families to create a school culture of respect and success, deliberately connects the classroom and key stakeholders to foster a strong community at large, demonstrates leadership and innovation in and outside the classroom walls that embodies lifelong learning, and engagingly expresses themselves and effectively communicates about the classroom experience to a wide variety of audiences.
