This first appeared on chalkbeat.org.
By Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat Colorado
Merci Ames, a science teacher at Strasburg High School, is Colorado’s 2027 Teacher of the Year, the Colorado Department of Education announced Thursday.
Ames has been teaching for 35 years. She also coaches the varsity and junior varsity basketball teams and sponsors the HOSA-Future Health Professionals student organization in Strasburg School District 31J, a small district about an hour east of Denver.
“She brings warmth, demand, purpose, and unwavering dedication to her classroom and the entire school community, leading through the small, often unseen acts that change lives,” Strasburg Superintendent Kelle Bongard said in a statement when Ames was named a finalist. “Mrs. Ames stands out because she consistently does the right thing, the right way, and gives of herself without expectation, and all for the benefit of her students.”
Ames was one of eight finalists for the award. As Colorado’s Teacher of the Year, she will receive a $5,000 gift from the Boettcher Foundation, continuing education credit from Adams State University, and a scholarship to award to a student of her choosing.
She will also represent Colorado in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
Ames’ term will begin in January. Colorado’s 2026 Teacher of the Year is Stephen Paulson, a social studies teacher at Greeley Central High School.
