The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation (MEEF) named Amanda Zarate the 2025 MCSD Teacher of the Year. Amanda teaches theater at Wynnton Arts Academy. The announcement was made in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 1,100 teachers and community leaders on Thursday, May 1^st, 2025, at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center in Columbus, GA. The announcement was the culmination of the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation’s Teacher of the Year program for the Muscogee County School District. 

“Amanda’s connection with her students is truly something special,” said Josh Reynolds, Selection Committee Chair. “She brings a unique energy and empathy into her classroom that allows students to feel seen, heard, and inspired. Amanda meets each student where they are—with compassion, creativity, and confidence. It’s clear she’s built a space where students feel safe to express themselves and are empowered to grow. That’s what stood out to the committee.” 

Zarate, a former Army tank track mechanic, was chosen from 54 Teacher of the Year (TOTY) Honorees representing each school in the Muscogee County School District.  Amanda’s educational philosophy is anchored in building relationships with her students. “My teaching begins with empathy—truly understanding who my students are, what they need, and how I can support them. I believe every student is capable of greatness, and it’s my job to create a space where they feel safe, valued, and empowered to express themselves. As a theatre educator, I use the stage to help them find their voice, build confidence, and believe in their own potential.”

2023 Teacher of the Year Tasha Morman served on the TOTY Selection Committee and observed that Zarate “…is the type of teacher who creates a classroom where every student feels safe to be themselves, express their emotions, and grow—not just as performers, but as people. As a theatre teacher, Amanda goes far beyond the stage—using theatre as a vessel to teach her students everything from communication and collaboration, to confidence and critical thinking.”

Each of the school TOTY Honorees are recognized and honored throughout the year in a variety of ways. In March, all the TOTYs were honored at an MCSD-sponsored breakfast with the MCSD TOTY and the Georgia TOTY. At the Gala every TOTY received a framed certificate of recognition and a $100 honorarium.  The Top Ten honorees also received a framed certificate of recognition and a $500 honorarium. The Top Three received a $1000 honorarium. The MCSD Teacher of the Year received a framed certificate, is featured on a OUTFRONT Media digital billboard, and received a $5000 honorarium. 

MEEF Chairman, Wes Kelley noted that this year the sponsors were extremely supportive, “We are especially grateful to our generous supporters who enable MEEF to reward and recognize exceptional teachers including Aflac, W.C. Bradley Company, Kinetic Credit Union, Synovus, This W.O.R.K.S. Inc, Chancelight, Brasfield & Gorrie, Janet Davis, Hughston Clinic, Hecht Burdeshaw Architects, TSYS, Virtucom, Colony Bank, Columbus State University, Columbus Water Works, Freeman and Associates, Hall Booth Smith, P.C., Hughston Clinic, Muscogee Retired Educators Association, OUTFRONT Media, Bill Reaves, Robinson, Grimes & Company, P.C., and Spud Bowen & Associates”

MEEF is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence by recognizing and rewarding innovative and exceptionally effective teachers in the Muscogee County School District. The Foundation has awarded over $3.3 million to teachers in MCSD, through financial incentives in the TOTY program, the MEEF Grant program, the MEEF Endowment Fund, the STEM T³ program, and the Harvard Fellows program, and the Buntin Scholars Program.

Amanda Zarate

From Tank Mechanic to Classroom Champion: Amanda Zarate Brings Army Values and Empathy to the Stage

Before stepping into the spotlight of the elementary classroom, Amanda Zarate served as a tank track mechanic in the United States Army. Her path to teaching has been anything but conventional—but it’s precisely that unique journey that shapes her remarkable approach today.

When Zarate transitioned into education, she leaned on the core values that had defined her military service: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. These became the building blocks of her early teaching philosophy. “At first, I applied them directly,” she recalls. “Students should be loyal and respectful, every child had a duty to work hard, and teachers must lead with integrity and courage.”

But after her first year in the classroom, Zarate recognized that teaching was not a battlefield—it was something more intimate and emotionally complex. “I wanted to hold on to my Army values, but I realized I needed to approach my work with more wisdom and adaptability,” she says. The mission had changed. Now, she wasn’t training soldiers—she was nurturing young children, many of whom carried unseen burdens.

So she evolved. She began asking deeper, more compassionate questions: Do my students feel safe? Do they know they matter? Are their most basic needs being met? She didn’t abandon her values—she redefined them.

Loyalty became consistency and trust. Duty evolved into a shared responsibility for growth. Respect became a recognition of each student’s unique story. Selfless service meant showing up wholeheartedly while setting healthy boundaries. Honor, integrity, and personal courage became guiding forces not just for behavior—but for modeling empathy, vulnerability, and advocacy.

Today, as a theatre arts teacher at Wynnton Arts Academy, Zarate channels that philosophy into powerful, creative work. Through performance, play, and storytelling, she helps students unlock their voices and believe in the power of their own stories. Her classroom is a stage for transformation—a place where all children are seen, heard, and empowered to shine.

“I believe all students are capable of achieving great things—no matter where they come from,” Zarate says. With every lesson, she proves it.