Chapel Hill High School marketing teacher Antoinette Godfrey enjoys 
being creative and thinking outside the box to meet the needs and learning styles of her students.
Godfrey’s passion for her students was recognized Thursday when she was named the 2026-2027 Douglas County School System Teacher of the Year.
Superintendent Dr. Trent North presented Godfrey with the district’s top teaching honor during the annual Teacher of the Year Banquet at Legacy Arena.
In addition to gifts donated by several generous businesses, Dr. North also presented Godfrey with a check for $5,000.
Godfrey rose to the top during a months-long judging process. Nineteen
judges, including five former district TOTYs, retired school system employees and community leaders, scored applications from all 35 school-level TOTYs and sat in on classroom observations and interviews with six semifinalists.
In addition to being an educator, Godfrey serves as marketing division vice president for the Georgia Association for Career & Technical Education.
In 2021, she was recognized as the marketing division's New Marketing Teacher for the state of Georgia. She was also a part of the 2025-2026 professional development cohort for the state of Georgia called LEAD CTAE.
The judges were impressed by her energy and passion for her students, as well as her outreach to businesses in the community.
One judge commended her for “dissolving the four walls in the classroom by deliberately reaching out to small businesses in the community.”
“This candidate believes we can never do enough for students — we can always go the extra mile,” the judge wrote.
Another judge praised Godfrey as a "passionate spokesperson," noting that her relevant engagement with the community and local businesses connects directly to what students need — success measured beyond test scores.
One judge wrote that Godfrey's "outreach efforts are amazing!" Another judge wrote that Godfrey is "Authentic! Energetic!"
Two other educators were recognized as TOTY finalists Thursday — Holly Springs Elementary School second-grade teacher Kremena Clayton was named the Elementary Teacher of the Year, and Yeager Middle School science teacher Nicole Kempson was named the Middle School Teacher of the Year.
