Winchester Public Schools is honored to announce that Mr. Jeff Keller, 2023 WPS Teacher of the Year, has now been named the Region IV Teacher of the Year for Virginia!  

A surprise announcement was made on Monday during the annual program in honor of Judge John Handley at Mt. Hebron Cemetery. Kent Dickey, Deputy Superintendent for Budget, Finance, and Operations for the Department of Education, was a guest visitor at the annual “March to the Tomb.” He surprised the crowd when he announced that Mr. Keller has been named from a pool of nearly 100,000 teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

‘It has invigorated me to learn about [Mr. Keller] and everything he means to this community,” Mr. Dickey said. “Mr. Keller is special on every single level, from the classroom, the high standards he espouses for students, the support he provides, the high expectations with that support. He’s a terrific professional colleague in his school, and his civic involvement in the community as a whole is very impressive. It is a terrific package - I wish every child in the Commonwealth had access to a terrific educator like Mr. Keller.”

Mr. Keller is currently a History teacher at John Handley High School where he has been teaching for 15 years. He is described as an irreplaceable, highly valued member of the Handley community with a deep understanding and passion for History. Handley Principal Susan Braithwaite spoke about Mr. Keller after the announcement. “On a day that we are honoring Judge John Handley’s contributions to the students of Winchester, it is especially fitting to celebrate Mr. Keller’s contributions to the academic progress of our students,” she said. “Mr. Keller has worked tirelessly to provide equal opportunity for all students in the classroom, and his dedication to equity is unmatched. Like Judge John Handley, Mr. Keller values education for all.”

Mr. Keller will now move forward to be considered for the 2023 Virginia Teacher of the Year.