As Mobile County Public Schools begins a new year and a new semester, school officials are proud to recognize the top three teachers of the 2025-2026 school year. These wonderful educators exemplify the highest standards in teaching and learning throughout the district. A committee from the MCPSS Central Office selected the three countywide teachers of the year and surprised them in their classrooms this week.
They are:
Jennifer Asberry of Council Traditional School, the Mobile County Elementary School Teacher of the Year;
Daniela Yunker of Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies, the Mobile County Middle School Teacher of the Year; and
Dr. Chelsea Tanous of Davidson High School, the Mobile County High School Teacher of the Year.
Each of Mobile County’s 90 schools selects a Teacher of the Year, who is then nominated for the countywide honor. The committee that selected these three winners will now submit their applications to be considered by the state for Alabama’s Teacher of the Year.
“I am very proud of these outstanding educators for going above and beyond to prepare our students for success,” said Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill. “This honor is a tangible recognition of their dedication to student achievement. I want to extend my heartiest congratulations to them for this terrific accomplishment.”
MCPSS has a great track record in the Alabama Teacher of the Year competition. In 2022, William Edmonds of Barton Academy was named Alabama’s Secondary Teacher of the year. As a teacher at Dawes Intermediate, Chasity Collier was named Alabama’s Teacher of the Year in 2018. As a teacher at Bryant High, David Dai was named Alabama’s top High School Teacher of the Year in 2020. And as a teacher at Hutchens Elementary, Julie Neidhardt was a top four finalist for Alabama’s Teacher of the Year in 2021.
Here is information about each of the Mobile County Teachers of the Year:
Jennifer Asberry, the MCPSS Elementary School Teacher of the Year, has taught at Council Traditional School since 2016. For the last five years, she has led Council’s STEAM lab, teaching science, technology, engineering, arts and math concepts to all grades at this historic magnet school near downtown Mobile. In that capacity, Ms. Asberry created the school’s annual Family STEAM Night, a schoolwide evening event that attracts upwards of 250 attendees to visit multiple interactive learning stations and become engaged in collaborative learning. She also coordinates the school’s annual STEM Day Celebration, which is modeled on national events that promote awareness of these concepts to elementary students, and she serves as chair of the Fifth Grade Science Fair, leading student preparation classes and ensuring that projects are aligned with state science standards. She also sponsors two after-school science exploration clubs at Council. Ms. Asberry is a UTEACH South Mentor, assisting STEM majors at the University of South Alabama, and has written elementary science curriculums and served on state-level ACAP Summative committees. She is active in several professional organizations, including the Alabama Science Teaching Association and the National Science Teaching Association. An educator for more than 20 years, Ms. Asberry earned a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of South Alabama, as well as a secondary certification in English Language Arts. She believes that instruction must be experiential to be transformative, and always strives to spark a lifelong love of learning in her students. “Her professionalism, creativity, and dedication to excellence make a lasting impact on both students and staff,” said Allison Streeter, Council’s Principal.
Daniela Yunker, the Mobile County Middle School Teacher of the Year, teaches German at Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies in downtown Mobile. Affectionately known as “Frau Yunker” to her students, she took an unusual path to education, beginning her career in hospitality management. A native of Germany, she completed hospitality internships in Europe before becoming the front office director at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile. While raising her two young sons and working full time, she completed a bachelor’s degree in English and German and an alternative master’s degree in education at the University of South Alabama. She became Barton’s German instructor in 2021 and has implemented numerous classroom innovations to engage her students in her love of languages, including the creation of the school’s German Honor Society and sponsoring a student trip to Europe. Through project-based learning assignments, she works to enhance cultural connections. One of her lessons inspired her students to research and write a book, “Germans in Mobile.” In her classroom, Ms. Yunker strives to emphasize the importance of cultural connections, innovation, and exploration, encouraging her students to actively engage with the world around them. She is also working on a PhD in Global Studies at Troy University to further her cultural education as it aligns with language teaching.
Dr. Chelsea Tanous, the Mobile County High School Teacher of the Year, teaches Honors and International Baccalaureate French and serves as the World Language Department Chair at Davidson High School. Dr. Tanous, who has been a world language teacher for 14 years, focuses on creating a learning environment where students may grow in their knowledge of the French language and culture, enhancing a greater understanding of their own culture in the process. In a typical lesson, students learn food and restaurant vocabulary through an immersive session that includes collaborative learning, decoding strategies, and the use of authentic materials. Dr. Tanous also fosters schoolwide connections by coordinating Davidson’s “mini international festival,” which brings together students from other world languages and from the culinary program to design a cultural celebration as a learning experience, featuring global cuisine and a multilingual talent show. Last summer, she extended global learning beyond the classroom by organizing a 14-day educational tour through France, Germany and Spain for students learning those three languages, an enriching experience that affirmed the real-world relevance of language study. Dr. Tanous believes in the power of education as a unifying force for good, and her classroom philosophy reflects her commitment to create educational opportunities where students feel valued and empowered.
All of the district's Teachers of the Year will be honored at a luncheon on March 13 at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel. Thank you to Coca-Cola Mobile Bottling Company for sponsoring the luncheon.