Orange Beach Announces Teachers, Staff Of The Year

 Orange Beach City Schools has announced that Grace Stanton and Janna Bradford were selected as its 2025-2026 teachers of the year, and Rachel Pettiway and Elizabeth Wood were named staff members of the year. Stanton, theatre director and drama teacher at Orange Beach Middle/High School (OBMHS), was named secondary teacher of the year. She “inspires students every day with her passion, creativity and belief in their abilities,” the school system said. Bradford, fourth grade math Teacher at Orange Beach Elementary School (OBES), was named primary teacher of the year. Her class earned the No. 1 Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program math scores in the state, and her students routinely demonstrate some of the highest growth and proficiency in the school. Elizabeth Wood, special education paraprofessional at OBES, was named elementary staff member of the year. “Dependable, hardworking and always ready to help before help is even requested, Elizabeth lifts up everyone around her,” the school system said. Rachel Pettiway, bookkeeper at OBMHS, was named secondary staff member of the year. She is known for her steady professionalism, positive attitude and willingness to help others. Teachers often say she “keeps our school running smoothly every single day” and that she is “the person we can always count on.”