Elizabeth Hahn, an English and Language Arts teacher at Thomson High School and graduate of Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development, has been named the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year for the McDuffie County School System. Hahn has spent two decades in education, with nine years at Thomson High.
“It is such an honor to be given that title, having heard all the other teachers speak here tonight,” Hahn said during the Aug. 28 event. “This is an extraordinary group of educators, so I am deeply honored and deeply grateful to my colleagues for voting for me in the first place.”
Hahn holds several roles at her school beyond teaching, including serving on committees, mentoring new teachers, coaching debate, and acting as department chair. She reflected on her motivation for teaching: “I realized that I really wanted to make a difference in the lives of students in the way that teachers were there for me. Every single year, no matter how many times I’ve read or taught a piece, there is a student that teaches me something new about that literature that I did not know. And I love that about teaching.”
After earning her undergraduate degree from Point Loma Nazarene University in California, Hahn completed both a Master of Arts in Teaching and an Education Specialist degree at then-Augusta State University. She is currently pursuing further graduate studies at Valdosta State University.
Dean Judi Wilson of Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development recognized all finalists: “The College of Education and Human Development congratulates all of the finalists for Teacher of the Year. It is such an incredible honor to be recognized by your peers as an outstanding teacher who goes above and beyond to support students,” Wilson said. “A special shout out goes to Elizabeth. As the department head, she represents our values consistently and she is a true difference maker in her school.”
Hahn will go on to represent McDuffie County in Georgia’s Teacher of the Year program.
In Richmond County, Chef Kanesha Roberts from George P. Butler High School was named Teacher of the Year at a September 18 banquet. Roberts teaches culinary arts and previously served as a U.S. Army sergeant.
Other Richmond County finalists included Audrey Crosby (Jenkins-White Elementary), Latonya Jackson (John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet), LaShanda Mills (Richmond Hill Elementary), Kristina Istre (A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet), and Andrie McFadden (Marion E. Barnes Career Center). Among them were AU alumni Crosby—an art teacher with two decades’ experience—and Jackson—an AP mathematics and computer science instructor.
Columbia County’s Teacher of the Year was awarded to Tiffany Tanner from Parkway Elementary School. Three AU alumni were among five district finalists: Kirsten Matthis (Evans High), Nancy Morris (Columbia Middle), and Lauren O’Neil (Cedar Ridge Elementary). Each holds multiple degrees from Augusta University or its legacy institutions.
In Burke County, Valencia Patterson from Blakeney Elementary was named a finalist; she has taught in Burke County for 24 years after graduating from Augusta State University with a degree in early childhood education. The district’s top honor went to Elizabeth Hunter from Waynesboro Primary School.
