Wake County schools name Matin Maani 2026 Teacher of the Year

Matin Maani’s seventh-grade social studies class at Apex Friendship Middle School helped him rise from a campus favorite to Wake County Public School System’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, a recognition that puts a spotlight on how belonging and academic rigor can work together in one of the district’s fastest-growing corners.

Wake County schools announced Maani as the winner on May 20, and Superintendent Robert Taylor publicly announced the selection as students and colleagues prepared to celebrate him at a recognition event on May 21 in Apex. Maani is in his fourth year of teaching, and all four years have been spent at Apex Friendship Middle, where district leaders say his classroom centers on inquiry-based learning, student voice and collaborative discussion.

Maani earned a Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Language Arts and Social Studies Education from NC State University, and he remains connected to the university through its Middle Grades English Language Arts and Social Studies alumni panel. He also takes part in a middle-school social studies community of practice, part of a professional network that reflects the kind of instructional collaboration Wake County is increasingly relying on as enrollment grows and schools face pressure to stay staffed, supported and connected to families.

The award also seems to reflect the culture Maani has built beyond lesson plans. Jeremy Thomas, another Apex Friendship Middle seventh-grade social studies teacher, praised Maani’s focus on engagement and the way he helps students leave class better than when they arrived. That emphasis on safety, respect and being seen has become part of Maani’s teaching identity, and it is the kind of approach that resonates in a county where parents often judge schools not only by test results, but by whether students feel known in the classroom.

At Apex Friendship Middle, Maani’s work extends into schoolwide leadership. He co-chairs the Equity Committee, serves on the School Improvement Team and advises the chess club, roles that place him in conversations about curriculum, school climate and student opportunity. District leaders say he has also used hard lessons to sharpen his teaching, including a moment when a student challenged his approach to a Holocaust lesson and pushed him to think more carefully about emotional readiness.

As Teacher of the Year, Maani will receive an engraved award and other sponsor gifts, plus an international study trip to Argentina in summer 2027 through Go Global NC, sponsored by the Dan Royster Memorial Teacher Award, and an invitation to attend the Global Leaders Teacher Fellowship conference through Participate Learning. His selection came after a district process that began with peer nominations and ended with portfolios, observations and interviews among 10 finalists.

Maani’s recognition also places him into North Carolina’s broader Teacher of the Year pipeline, where state finalists were named earlier this year and the state winner was set to be chosen at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary. For Wake County, his win is more than a morale boost. It is a sign that the district’s most celebrated classrooms are still being defined by the basics: students who feel safe, a teacher who listens and work that makes a middle school room feel worth showing up to every day.