Kevin Criss, AHISD Teacher of the Year, has been selected as a finalist in the 2025 Texas Teacher of the Year program.
On September 4, the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) announced that six outstanding educators from across Texas have been chosen as finalists in the 2025 Texas Teacher of the Year program.
Criss, a physical education teacher at Cambridge Elementary, is one of three finalists for Elementary Teacher of the Year. In August, he was named Region 20 Elementary Teacher of the Year.
“Compassion and kindness are not often associated with physical education,” Criss said in his application. “Instead, people tend to focus on winning and achievement. It hits home for me. When I think back to that younger version of myself, the insecure kid who had limited support and experience in all things athletic, I recognize that PE has social emotional components and implications that are often overlooked, and my heart is to help establish a more inclusive and encouraging culture. Because of my childhood PE experiences, I have intentionally created a classroom that uses PE as an opportunity to teach integrity, perseverance, gratitude, and compassion, to name a few.”
The six finalists will be interviewed Oct. 24 by a panel of judges composed of representatives of educational leadership associations, community and business leaders, a member of the State Board for Educator Certification, a member of the State Board of Education, and prior Texas Teachers of the Year.
The panel will select two state-level winners — Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year — and designate one to represent Texas in the National Teacher of the Year program.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony Oct. 25 Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Round Rock, Texas, where the 40 Regional Teachers of the Year will also be recognized.
The Texas Teacher of the Year program has honored excellence in classroom education since 1969. The program, facilitated by TASA since 2011, annually recognizes and rewards teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching.
Pictured are Cambridge Principal Jana Hawkins,
Kevin Criss, Christi Criss, and Superintendent
Dr. Dana Bashara.
