During Thursday’s Convocation, the Bibb County School District named Stuart Hardy of W.S.
Hutchings College & Career Academy its 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year. Cherene Lewis of Sonny Carter
Elementary School was named runner-up.

Hardy, the Executive Chef Instructor at Hutchings, has been with the District since 2016 and was previously named a finalist for the award for the 2021-2022 school year. During his time at Hutchings, he’s been instrumental in the inception of the Compass Rose Café, a meal kit program and the Mac Shack food truck. Additionally, he and the other program instructors have helped guide a student-run catering service.

Hardy and Lewis were joined as finalists by Aaron Allen of Bruce Elementary School, Dr. Luciana Green of Central High School and Dan Hall of Howard High School. They will be honored alongside the other school-level Teachers of the Year as well as District Counselor of the Year Dr. Latesha Dixon-Harden of John R. Lewis Elementary School, Media Specialist of the Year NeAnn W. Bundrage of Ballard-Hudson Middle School and Social Worker of the Year Rushunda Jones at an event this fall.