CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Five educators have been chosen by the state Department of Education as finalists for the 2027 West Virginia Teacher of the Year.
The West Virginia Department of Education announced the five finalists in a news release Monday:
– Morgan Bricker, Weir High School (Hancock County)
– Dr. Stefanie Cirilli, Elm Grove High School (Ohio County)
– Heather Hartman, West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (Hampshire County)
– Nicole Mattingly, Clay-Battelle Middle/High School (Monongalia County)
– Laura Presley, Princeton High School (Mercer County)
Bricker has taught six different courses at Weir over the past nine years, including English 11, journalism, broadcasting, and yearbook. Her 20-year career has included stints at three different schools where she has created student media programs.
She has degrees from Muskingum University and Kent State University, along with a West Virginia professional teaching certificate in English and journalim educator and master journalism educator certificates through the Journalism Education Association. Bricker serves as Hancock County Schools’ lead fellow and wrote the district’s application to participate in the News Literacy Project District Fellowship program in 2025.
Cirilli’s career in education has spanned 18 years. She currently works as a Title I reading specialist at Elm Grove for Grades K-5. She has degrees from Bethany College, West Virginia University, and Jones International University. Cirilli is also a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) with distinction as an exceptional needs specialist.
Her classroom approach is inspired by Fred Rogers’ philosophy to focus on the Science of Reading while giving a nurturing and safe environment for all students. She also serves as an adjunct education instructor at Wheeling University.
Hartman teaches four courses at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Romney. She has degrees from Coastal Carolina University, Frostburg State University, and Marshall University. Her courses include science, biology, earth science, and physical science to both deaf and visually impaired learners at the school.
She also brings students to Space Camp for Interested Visually Impared Students in Alabama and is involved in the literacy competition Braille Challenge and orientation and mobility program Cane Quest.
Mattingly has taught at the sixth-grade level at Clay-Battelle in Monongalia County for seven years. She graduated from Fairmont State with a B.A. in Elementary Education and has founded an annual breast cancer awareness event at Clay-Battelle called “Pink Out.” The event has raised over $100,000 over a 16-year period for local cancer patients.
She has been involved in the statewide initiative Game Changer as a coach and ambassador. Game Changers focuses on substance misuse prevention and education through peer leadership.
Presley has taught at Princeton Senior High School for 16 years, teaching honors English 10, English 9, and a Holocaust literature elective courses. She has degrees from Concord University and Marshall University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in English-Language Arts (ELA). She is also an English department chair and a mentor teacher.
She’s also helped with Mercer County Schools’ Bookapalooza literacy event, the county’s “Academic Bowl,” and is involved with the WVDE’s mentorship program.
The winner of the Teacher of the Year award, along with the state’s Service Personnel of the Year, Counselor of the Year and Principal of the Year, will be announced at a gala on September 8 in Charleston.