Kathryn Locke-Jones named Maryland’s 2024-2025 State Teacher of the Year

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English/Language Arts teacher Kathryn Locke-Jones has been named the Maryland State teacher of the Year for 2024-2025. (Photo credit: Kathryn Locke-Jones)

There are many dedicated educators working in our nation’s schools who are deserving of accolades. One of them is Kathryn Locke-Jones, a junior high school teacher who has been named Maryland’s State Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025.

Kathryn, who is often called Kat, teaches English/Language Arts to seventh graders at Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. In the years she has taught there, she initiated the school’s National History Day program and launched a writing center to support multi-lingual learners. And her efforts have garnered remarkable results. Her students have earned the highest seventh grade score on state assessments for five years in a row. Kat has taught in Baltimore City Public Schools for 12 years.

Kat says she is passionate about creating safe spaces for her students and helping them find their voice so they can tell their stories. She believes that a teacher’s greatest honor is to hand students a pen.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Kat co-founded SL24, a nonprofit foundation to educate, assist, and support students with their mental health. Her work has created a positive impact on more than 90,000 educators. Since 2019, SL24 has raised more than $4 million for mental health education and created Sean’s House, a  free 24/7 mental health safe haven for young adults between the ages 14 and 24. Since its opening in 2020, more than 32,000 people have been served by Sean’s House.

Garnering the State Teacher of the Year award is not the only honor Kat has earned. In 2019 she was named a 2019 Kennedy Leadership Award Winner for Excellence in Teaching, in recognition of having a profound impact with students and communities.

Kat earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Delaware in 2013. She earned her Master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University in 2015.

Richard Fujiwara: PE teacher and decorated US Army veteran

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Elementary school teacher Richard Fujiwara was also a decorated US Army veteran. (Photo credit: Daily Bulletin)

Many educators who have served in America’s public schools have also served our nation in the Armed Services. One of these is Richard Fujiwara, an elementary teacher who served in the US Army during the VietNam War.

Richard was born in Upland, California, on Dec. 5, 1946. As a youngster he was raised in Chino, where he attended Chino High School. He graduated from the school in 1964. After his graduation, Richard served in VietNam, where he showed exceptional valor, earning a Purple Heart, a Green Medal, and a Bronze Star.

Once he returned to California, Richard attended Cal Poly Pomona, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and his teaching credential. Once he earned his degrees, Richard accepted a position as an elementary physical education teacher at Citrus Elementary in the Upland Unified School District. Later he taught fourth grade at Baldy View Elementary School and at Pepper Tree Elementary. His final assignment before retirement was as an itinerant Physical education teacher at the elementary level.

In his retirement, Richard volunteered countless hours at the USO and travelled, and played golf and tennis. Richard passed away on Nov. 6, 2025. He is interred at Riverside National Cemetery .

Matilda Mossman: The health and Pe teacher who became an award-winning basketball coach

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Former high school health and physical education teacher Matilda Mossman became an award-winning university basketball coach prior to her retirement in 2021. Photo credit: Tulsa University

Many outstanding college coaches launched their careers as physical education teachers in one of America’s public schools. One of these is Matilda Mossman, an award-winning high school basketball coach who also served as the former Head Basketball Coach for the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Matilda was born on Aug. 7, 1956 in Campbellsville, Kentucky. After her graduation from high school, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical education in 1970 and her Master’s degree in Education in 1980, both from Western Kentucky.located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

After earning her degrees, Matilda launched her career as a health and physical education teacher at Normal Community High School in Normal, Illinois. She also served as the girls basketball coach there. She worked at the school from 1994 to 2001.

The next year, Matilda relocated to Norman Oklahoma, where she served as the assistant girls basketball coach at Norman North High School. That year, her team completed the season with a 22-4 record and advanced to the Class 6A state semi-finals.

The next year, Matilda was named the Head Basketball Coach at Norman High. She served in that role from 2002 to 2011. During those years, her teams logged an overall record of 191-53 for a winning percentage of nearly 80%. During her tenure, Matilda’s teams qualified for the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletic Association (OSSAA) Class 6A State Tournament in the last eight of her nine seasons, and they won eight straight regional championships. In fact, Matilda led Norman High to the state title in 2005, and runner-up in 2010.  For her efforts, she was named the Conference Coach of the Year three times, while earning Regional and District Coach of the Year honors twice.

In 2011, Matilda was appointed Head Basketball Coach at the University of Tulsa, where she served ten seasons. She took over a five-win team and in just her second year won a conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. She retired from coaching in 2021.

“My entire life has evolved around being a basketball coach. And I have had the time of my life!” Matilda declared at the time of her retirement. “Mark Twain once said, ‘Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never work a day in your life.’ That is certainly what I have done,” she concluded.