Alamosa Elementary multilingual teacher Elisamaria Heredia was named a Colorado Teacher of the Year 2026 Finalist during a school assembly Monday. The announcement was met with a roar of approval and cheers of “Hip, hip hooray” from the mini-Moose elementary students in attendance.
“I’m so happy. It was a wonderful surprise,” said Heredia, who was surrounded by colleagues when Colorado Department of Education Chief Talent and Human Resources Officer Margarita Tovar made the surprise announcement before an impromptu student assembly.
Tovar and CDE staff have been traveling around the state making announcements at schools about the eight finalists for the Teacher of the Year Award. The winner will be announced in October.
“We are so proud of her,” said Alamosa School District Superintendent Diana Jones, who led the students in a round of cheers for Heredia.
As far as the school district could determine, Heredia is the first teacher from Alamosa Schools to be named a finalist for the coveted Colorado Teacher of the Year award. Just last year Alamosa Elementary 3-5 Principal Michelle Rubidoux-Wilson was named Colorado Elementary Distinguished Principal of the Year by the Colorado Association of School Executives.
The 2026 Colorado Teacher of the Year will represent the state as a candidate for the National Teacher of the Year program and serve as a teaching ambassador to communities and organizations around the state and nation.
The program is sponsored by the Boettcher Foundation and supported by partnerships with the Colorado Education Association, Adams State University, and Blue Bell Ice Cream.
“Elisamaria Heredia is a powerful force for educational equity and opportunity,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova. “Her work with multilingual learners, both in the classroom and across her district, reflects a deep commitment to helping every student thrive. The fact that she now teaches future educators—including some of her former students—is a beautiful full-circle moment that speaks to the profound impact she’s made over her career.”
Heredia, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Adams State, teaches multilingual learners at Alamosa Elementary 3-5. Her pride and inspiration, she said, is when she meets college students who used to be her English learners in elementary school.
The proof of her effectiveness and her rise in the ranks of Colorado’s very best teachers is the fact that a record number 24 students from Alamosa Elementary 3-5 scored four out of five possible points in their most recent oral and written English language skills to advance in their
English proficiency abilities.
“It’s getting students closer and closer to being fully English proficient and that’s a huge success. We haven’t had that high of a number in the time we’ve been here,” Assistant School Superintendent Luis Murillo said back in June when Heredia was named one of 22 semifinalists for the Teacher of the Year Award.
Now she is one of eight finalists. October will bring the winner.