Chesterfield County Public Schools announce 2026 Teacher of the Year

Jan 20, 2026 - 21:25

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Chesterfield County Public Schools announce 2026 Teacher of the Year

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect the accurate name of the honoree. We apologize for the mistake.

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS) announced James Myers as the county's 2026 Teacher of the Year on Tuesday morning.

On Jan. 20 at around 11 a.m., CCPS leaders went to Myers' class of advanced engineering and manufacturing at the Career and Technical Center at Hull (CTC@Hull) to surprise him as Chesterfield County's 2026 teacher of the year.

“James Myers demonstrates the insight and professionalism of a seasoned educator despite only a few years in education. He understands the big picture and the delicate ecosystem of students, programs, business partners and the wider Career and Technical Center community and continuously works to improve opportunities for his students," said Brian Russel, the principal of CTC@Hull. "He is always willing to support his colleagues and contributes as a coach and PLC lead. … His industry experience strengthens his advanced engineering and manufacturing curriculum.”

Myers worked 27 years in the engineering and manufacturing industry and switched to teaching after becoming a mentor to younger colleagues, coaching field hockey and working with Boy Scouts.

"County-wide is a little humbling, a little surprising given my tenure with the County. [I'm] a relatively new teacher, doing my best to make an impact, and apparently I am, so, surprising to say the least," Myers said.

James Myers, Chesterfield County Public Schools 2026 teacher of the year. (Photo: Paul Nevadomski/ 8News)

Every year, CCPS selects a Teacher of the Year from the three honorees for Elementary, Middle and High School Teacher of the Year. The other nominees included: