Teacher Of The Year

2026 Nominations are closed.

Individuals who are named Teacher of the Year by their state affiliate are eligible for SHAPE America’s District Teacher of the Year award and have a three-year window to apply at the district level.

Oregon SHAPE will work with the nominee to ensure that other additional criteria is met and documented. It is Oregon SHAPE’s intent to prepare all nominees to participate in a nomination track that will make a nominee eligible for District and National Recognition within SHAPE America, our associate organization.

Teacher of the Year applicants, if awarded the Oregon Teacher of the Year, will be entered in the pool for Western District Teacher of the Year nominations. If a Teacher of the Year is awarded the Western District Teacher of the Year, the nominee will then be entered into the National Teacher of the Year pool.

We have many excellent professionals in the state of Oregon and would like to recognize those professionals for their contribution to our area of academia. Those who obtain a State Award will be recognized at the State Conference in October before the State Assembly.

Please Note: Current State, Regional or National Board of Directors members, Executive Committee members and former national Teachers of the Year are not eligible to apply for these awards.

2026 Teachers Of The Year

Elementary PE
Michael Rittman
Atkinson Elementary
Portland Public School District
  • $5,000 Kids Heart Challenge Grant (2019): Only PE teacher in OR awarded; bought Ninja Warrior set.
  • $3,250 First Tee Golf Donation & $3,000+ Gaga Ball Pit built at school.
  • Community Grants & Sales: Raised ~$100k via DonorsChoose, spiritwear, wishlist & sales.
  • KGW News Features: Recognized twice during pandemic for YouTube virtual PE teaching.
  • Auction & Fun Run Committees: Helped secure hundreds of thousands for school.
  • Curriculum & Active Travel: PPS Curriculum Adoption; partnered with PBOT & Metro for yearly K-5 bike safety.
  • OSHAPE Board: Past VP of PE; regular OR/WA attendee.
  • Coaching (10 Yrs AD): MS Track, HS Football, HS Baseball, Youth Soccer, Run Clubs.

Elementary PE
Ratko Pavlovic
Danebo Elementary / U of O
Bethel School District
  • Secured more than $30,000 in grants to expand inclusive PE programming.
  • Adjunct lecturer, University of Oregon, UOTeach K-12 Physical Education Program.
  • Founded a Multicultural Student Union.
  • Restarted the Prairie Mountain School track and field program after the pandemic.
  • Served on district Equity, CRPBIS, SEL implementation, and PLC teams.
  • Led the district professional development session "Playground for Everyone" for three years.
  • Secured community partnerships for student footwear, adaptive equipment, and other essential resources.
  • Cooperating teacher and mentor with the University of Oregon and Bethel Mentor/Mentee Program.
  • Presenter at the ORSHAPE Conference and annual participant in ongoing professional development.

Adapted PE
Michelle Dunn
District Wide APE
Eugene School District
  • 11 years in education across K-12 general PE, special education, Adapted PE, and higher education.
  • Districtwide Adapted PE Specialist, Eugene School District 4J, serving K-12+ across 22+ schools.
  • UO adjunct in Educational Foundations, teaching inclusive general PE and Adapted PE to undergraduate and UO Teach master's students for PE.
  • Established MTSS in PE with Unified PE and Unified Sports.
  • Raised over $60,000 in grants in 4 years for Adapted PE and districtwide K-12 PE, supporting inclusive equipment, staff learning, and community engagement partnerships.
  • Passionate about inclusion, equitable PE access, physical literacy, independence, belonging, and lifelong healthy movement.

Middle School PE
Julia Mazur
Jackson Middle School
Portland Public School District
  • 15 years teaching!
  • Former Oregon SHAPE President (2021-2024)
  • Supported districts in over 4 states in K-12 PE & health education curriculum creation (both in person and virtually)
  • PD presenter specializing in cultural relevancy & SEL skills
  • Collaborated with ODE in standard adoptions, state curriculum review adoptions, best practice and more!
  • Facilitated school-wide bike education and safety programs.
  • Fun things I've taught are mindfulness, yoga, jedi training, dance, cardio drumming and school wide rhythms performances.

2025 Teachers Of The Year


Elementary PE
Steve Johnson
Orenco Elementary
Hillsboro School District
  • Co-founder of Everybody Loves PE!, a summer camp for kids.
  • 20+ years of coaching high school boys basketball in Hillsboro.
  • Elementary PE TOSA in Hillsboro which allows Steve to be a strong advocate for high quality physical education.
  • Presented at conferences in the Pacific Northwest on a variety of topics (i.e. parkour, SEL, Casel, team building, etc).
  • Taught at the same school for the last 17 years.

Middle School PE
Emily Zien
Tumwater Middle School
Beaverton School District 
  • Advocates for PE and Health Education programs through professional development and collaboration with teachers around the world.
  • Co-led the SHAPE America taskforce that published the ‘Inclusive Practices in Health Education’ guidance document.
  • Has presented at state, national, and international PE and Health conferences.
  • Has taught at American international schools in Qatar, Singapore, and Italy.

Middle School Health
Haleigh Jaeger
Sellwood Middle School
Portland Public School District 
  • Engaged in field testing of curriculum resources, provided actionable feedback to support instructional improvement and inform adoption decisions.
  • Serving on district and school level committees (Advisors on Instructional Resources Committees, Promotion Committee, Site Council).
  • Contributed to the broader school community through attending students' extracurricular activities and events.
  • Advocating for student success by communicating regularly with parents/guardians and connecting students & families with resources.
  • Developed and distributed curriculum resources to strengthen instructional practices among district health teachers.

2024 Teachers Of The Year


Elementary PE
Diana Wanek
Chapman Hill Elementary
Salem-Keizer School District
  • OSHAPE Conference Presenter & attended the SHAPE America National Conference in 2015, 2016, & 2021.
  • Selected by the Salem-Keizer School District to attend the prestigious PE Institute in Asheville, NC.
  • Leads Professional Development initiatives in the Salem-Keizer school district and served on the Scope and Sequence planning team.
  • Launched the first Salem-Keizer Archery Club at Chapman Hill Elementary.
  • Over the past eight years built the Kids Heart Challenge at Chapman Hill, extended the program to Meyers Elementary and has raised over $8,000 for PE programming.

Elementary PE
Dani McSherry
Rose City Park Elementary
Portland Public School District
  • Portland Public Schools Middle School Athletics: Coordinator of the Year.
  • In 2023, she was the first teacher in Portland Public to implement a pedestrian, bicycle, and scooter education unit for all 475 students at Rose City Park.
  • Raised over $100,000 through three jog-a-thon fundraisers to support a climbing wall, gaga ball court, and support staffing at Rose City Park.
  • Hosts an annual  Family Fitness Night where over 300 students and family members are introduced to a variety of physical activities.
  • 2022 recipient of a Metro Grant and began a bike bus to safely lead students to school. 2023 Metro Grant award allowed her to increase from 1 bike bus to 3.

Adapted PE
Sean Corson
Ridgeview High School
Redmond School District
  • Active Team Member Pursuing State-wide APE Initiatives; one of six APE teachers throughout Oregon selected for a leadership role to advocate for and improve APE access for students across Oregon.
  • Selected to participant in the ODE APE Guidelines Revision Committee.
  • Partnered with the OSU Engineering Department, Force Lab and Oregon Adapted Sports to help bring a modified skateboard to completion for a student. Making Dreams Come True!
  • Inspired Special Olympics Oregon to Support Unified Kickball statewide and has grown the program to the 2nd annual event with over 300 participants.
  • 2016-2024 invited to present at  the National APE Conference.
  • Volunteer APE Mentor: Throughout my career, I have supported several APE teachers in their pursuit to maximize their impact on the students in their district.

High School PE
Bethany Nedrow
Lakeridge High School
Lake Oswego School District
  • Established safety protocols, school-wide behavior management routines, and freshman onboarding initiatives to build an inclusive campus culture.
  • Designed state-standard-aligned PE curricula emphasizing student equity, objective assessment, and active engagement.
  • Adapted physical education instruction and individualized plans to create accessible, supportive learning environments for students of all abilities.
  • Delivered comprehensive health education focused on lifelong wellness, state standards, and positive habit formation.
  • Trained student leaders to facilitate freshman orientation, team-building activities, and smooth school transitions.
  • Guided student civic leadership, organized community fundraising initiatives, and managed conference operations.
  • Choreographed routines, instructed dance technique, and directed logistics for regional competitions and national trips.