By Brooke Foster

Bluff Park Elementary students and staff celebrated a familiar face May 20 during a special assembly honoring first-grade teacher Katie Collins, Alabama’s Teacher of the Year.

Thunderous roars of applause and chants of “Mrs. Coll-ins!” echoed through the gymnasium as Alfa Insurance and Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell presented Collins with keys to a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse, which she will use as she promotes education across the state. This is the 29th year Alfa has provided the year’s use of a new vehicle to Alabama’s Teacher of the Year, while the Federation covers the cost of insurance.

“What an honor it is to stand up here today, and thank you, Alfa, for this really cool car,” said Collins during her cheerful remarks. “Never in her wildest dreams would the 6-year-old version of myself, who wholeheartedly knew she was destined to be a teacher, dream up being here today as Alabama Teacher of the Year.”

Parnell said he was pleased to offer the vehicle to Collins.

“Teachers across all school levels have a tremendous impact on their students and the communities they serve,” said Parnell. “I believe if you do what you love and do it well, success will follow, and that’s certainly what we can expect from this outstanding advocate for education.”

Collins, who refers to her Bluff Park school as a garden, openly shared this honor with her “fellow gardeners.”

“We believe children who are sitting in our classrooms are a living and breathing representation of the potential our world can be, and what we do in each and every moment of tending that garden is vital to the growth that is yet to come,” Collins said. “Weeds of adversity pop up, but we never stop believing we’ll harvest a product of good. So, we watch, wait, hope and believe. We celebrate a sprouting, even if we have to look very closely to see it.”

Across her 20-year career, Collins has taught middle and high school French and English before joining the Bluff Park staff in 2017. She lists her proudest professional accomplishment as creating the Communities Family Literacy Program after she and two colleagues saw a need for parent and preschool English language services among ESL families in the Hoover City School System. This grassroots program has transformed into a fully funded literacy initiative, employing adult and preschool instructors.

The Alabama Teacher of the Year Program is administered through the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), which received more than 150 applications for the 2025-26 award.

“We really enjoy this event, celebrating the best educators across the state and honoring their dedication to the art of teaching,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey. “Alabama Teacher of the Year Katie H. Collins represents the highest level of professionalism. She is a true advocate for education and understands the value in establishing a love for learning early in these students’ lives. Hoover City Schools is incredibly fortunate to have an educator of her caliber, as is the state of Alabama.”   

As the Teacher of the Year, Collins will serve as the state’s official ambassador for public education and the teaching profession during the 2025-26 academic year. As Alabama’s winner, Collins is the state’s official nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Program. She will actively advocate for the profession alongside Alternate State Teacher of the Year Aubrey Bennett of George Washington Carver High School in Birmingham. Together, they will speak to civic and professional organizations, conduct workshops for teachers and write articles that promote education.