Park City High School social studies teacher Joanna Andres made Park City School District history in April — she was the first to win the staff and student-elected Excellent Educator awards. The annual Park City Education Foundation program recognizes teachers who positively impact their school community and students.
Andres made district history again last week as the first district educator to be awarded Utah Teacher of the Year.
“It was a big shock. It was huge,” Andres said. “The other four finalists are a force to be reckoned with.”
Special education teacher Aston (Rai) Pattison from Granite School District was another finalist who, Andres said, organizes a GoFundMe to take her students on field trips.
Andres said finalist and Chinese and Advanced Placement U.S. history teacher Aaron Andersen from Alpine School District also organizes an annual Chinese New Year’s festival, and first grade teacher Markay Anderson from Uintah School District teaches her students in Spanish.
The fourth finalist was Dr. Joseph Kozlowski, who teaches second-grade and college students at Utah State University.
“It was such a diverse group of people, and they have such an incredible skill set in their own little section of the educational universe, and I didn't see it coming. I really didn't,” Andres said.
But Park City High Principal Caleb Fine and Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman weren’t surprised. Huntsman said Andres is very forward-thinking and always looking to do what’s best for students.
She said Andres has also transformed the AP Government course, with 88% of students passing the exam and 32 receiving a 5 out of 5.
“They understand her expectations, they follow routines, and the academic discourse that is happening in her classroom is unmatched,” Huntsman said. “I can't think of a more deserving individual.”
Andres said her classroom is very collaborative in nature. Students work in teams and earn professionalism and participation points. But the main purpose is for students to engage and discuss what’s happening in government and politics, even if they disagree with one another.
To emphasize the point, Andres said she recently printed and framed a picture of former Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She said while the pair were on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum, they were still close friends, even going on trips together.
“That's a reminder for them that that's your job,” Andres said. “It's okay to be uncomfortable. It's okay to hear different ideas. But at the end of the day, what you need to do is be able to realize what you have in common is your humanity and your constitution.”
And students like the discourse. Andres said she shared student testimonials during the interview process to become Utah Teacher of the Year. They included things like, “The class restored my faith in democracy,” and “I now know that I can have conversations with people whose ideas I despise, and I don't have to despise them.”
As the 2026 Utah Teacher of the Year, Andres said she gets the privilege of completing a year of service. She said she plans to visit school districts throughout the state to celebrate teacher leaders. Andres also wants to bring Utah State Board members and legislators along so they can see Utah teachers in action.
Andres will also go on to represent Utah in the National Teacher of the Year program.
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