She teaches at Monocacy Elementary School.
Alonna Sowrd-Puryear, Teacher, Monocacy Elementary School. A finalist for Md Teacher of the Year
(Photo from Frederick County Public Schools)
Frederick, Md (KM) A teacher at Monocacy Elementary School is one of seven educators around the state who have been named finalists in the 2026 Teacher of the Year award.. Alonna Soward-Puryear has taught at Monocacy Elementary since 2019. She was a fourth grade teacher who was an active member of the School Improvement Team, the STEM Team and the Systemic Blueprint Team.
Soward-Puryear holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education from Hood College, in Frederick. She also earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. at Hood. In a news release, FCPS describes Soward-Puryear as a proud graduate of Frederick High School. She also attended West Frederick Middle School, and Spring Ridge and Lincoln Elementary Schools.
“Alonna Soward-Puryear is a powerful advocate for all students and I was thrilled to hear that she has been named a state finalist,” says Dr. Cheryl Dyson, Frederick County Superintendent of Schools, in a statement. “We are so fortunate to have outstanding and passionate educators like Ms. Soward-Puryear inspiring FCPS students in classrooms throughout the county.”
Soward-Puryear is the third Frederick County Public Schools teacher in the past four years, and the fourth in the past seven years to be named a Teacher of the Year finalist. The 2025 Teacher of the Year will be announced on Friday, September 26th at the 35th Annual Maryland State Teacher of the Year Awards Gala at Martin’s Valley Mansion in Cockeysville.
The other finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year are:
*Jacqueline Sanderson, Bell Grove Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
*Jevons Liu, Academy for College and Career Exploration, Baltimore City Public Schools.
*Natalie Pretzello, Hammond Middle School, Howard County Public Schools
*Marcie Mamas, Kent Island High School, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools
*Emma Cohn Matthews, Wicomico High School, Wicomico County Public Schools
*Phillip Cropper, Worcester Technical High School, Worcester County Public Schools.
By Kevin McManus