Baldwin County Public Schools (BCPS) announced two Spanish Fort teachers are recipients of 2026 elementary and secondary teachers of the year for the school system.

Elizabeth Von Hofe, who teaches at Spanish Fort Elementary (SFES), spent more than a decade working in health care before working in a classroom, according to her bio provided by BCPS.

After moving to South Alabama from Tennessee, she began working as a substitute teacher and fell in love with education. She went back to school to earn a master’s degree in collaborative education and became National Board Certified in her third year of teaching.

Currently, she teaches a self-contained classroom at SFES and serves as an IEP chair and Project Outreach chapter sponsor.

Emily Hudson, who teaches at Spanish Fort High School (SFHS), traveled and took part in immersive study experiences to fulfill her passion for language and connection, according to her bio.

While pursuing her bachelor’s, she spent time tutoring, coaching and working in a classroom setting where she discovered “her love for the subject itself had become secondary to the joy of sharing it with others.”

After earning her master’s degree and teaching Spanish I through Spanish IV at Vestavia Hills High School, Mount Carmel Academy and SFHS, she now serves as the world language department chair at SFHS.

According to a statement from BCPS Superintendent Eddie Tyler, each school in the district selects a Teacher of the Year to represent its campus each year.

From the campus nominees, a panel of BCPS judges selects an elementary and secondary teacher to represent the district and continue to compete at the state level.

“Both Mrs. Von Hofe and Mrs. Hudson have also been submitted for consideration for the Alabama Teacher of the Year,” Tyler said, “and we wish them the very best in the next round of competition.”