A Baltimore City Public Schools teacher has been named a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
Last week, the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) announced that Kat Locke-Jones — Baltimore City Public Schools’ 2024 Teacher of the Year — is a Maryland Teacher of the Year finalist. The award rewards teachers of the highest caliber, skill, and excellence, and Locke-Jones is one of seven finalists from local school systems who will compete for 2024-2025 Maryland Teacher of the Year.
Lock-Jones teaches English Language Arts to seventh-grade students at Hampstead Hill Academy. She was a Baltimore City Public Schools model teacher and 2023 Teacher of the year Finalist. She’s passionate about teaching students the tools they need to write and tell their own stories. She also co-founded SL24 and Sean’s House, a mental health foundation focusing on educating, assisting, and supporting students.
“Ms. Lo-Jo is a living example of how heart and mind come together to really teach the whole child,” said City Schools CEO Sonja Santelises. “I am just so proud and so thrilled for Baltimore City that Baltimore City Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year is a finalist for the State honor.”
Ten City Schools teachers have been named finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year since 2013. Four have won the honor: Berol Dewdney in 2022, Wyatt Oroke in 2020, Sia Kyriakakos in 2016, and Ryan Kaiser in 2015.
The Maryland Teacher of the Year will be announced on Oct. 4 during a gala reception and dinner at Martin’s Valley Mansion in Baltimore.
For more information about the Teacher of the Year award, Locke-Jones, and the other finalists, click this link.
