The excellence of Poudre School District educators is always worth celebrating – especially when one of our own is recognized statewide as one of the best in the profession.
Sarah Bayer, a secondary teacher at Polaris Expeditionary Learning School, has been named one of 22 semifinalists for the Colorado Department of Education 2026 Teacher of the Year award. She was selected from a pool of 419 teachers from all over Colorado
“I am honored and privileged,” Sarah said of the recognition. “To me, it’s a testament to the community at Polaris.”
Sarah has been a teacher for 24 years, 13 of which she has spent at Polaris. She said that while she is the one being recognized, she wanted to thank all the people she works alongside every day; from her fellow teachers at Polaris to the District for supporting educators like her and, of course, her students who support her in all she does.
“Sarah is a lifelong learner, an exceptionally talented National Board Certified teacher who has launched the only Natural Resource and Outdoor Leadership CTE pathway in PSD,” Polaris Principal Starr Hill said. “Students thrive under her leadership – both in the classroom and in the field, where her high expectations of rigor and real-world applications of learning propel students toward their passions and future careers. But above all, Sarah is a wonderful human and crew member.”
Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year Program honors a dedicated classroom teacher to represent the profession statewide. The selected teacher also becomes Colorado’s nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition.
Sarah learned the exciting news Wednesday afternoon during a virtual meeting with CDE Commissioner Susana Córdova and the other semifinalists. From here, Sarah and the other semifinalists will complete additional application components and participate in interviews with the selection committee by early July.
Finalists will be announced in September, and the 2026 Colorado Teacher of the Year will be named in October.
The district would like to congratulate Sarah on this tremendous achievement and thank her for her tireless work to better the lives and educational journeys of each of her students.