Between teaching in her lab, cheering at football games, and sponsoring the National Honor Society, science teacher Meredith Townsend fills many roles in the school community. This year, her exemplary service to her students and the district was recognized when she was awarded the 2026-2027 HPHS Teacher of the Year Award.
Currently, Townsend teaches both freshmen honors biology and medical microbiology. Additionally, Townsend is the science department chair and a sponsor for the HPHS chapter of the National Honor Society. Townsend was recognized for her 13 years of work at HPHS in early March.
“It’s an honor. There’s a ton of people in this building, and everyone has something that they do well,” Townsend said. “To be nominated, it feels good that people recognize your hard work.”
The process of selecting the teacher of the year is two-fold. First, faculty are asked to nominate colleagues they think deserve the award. Then, the most frequently nominated teachers are reviewed and observed by a committee of former teachers of the year, who then vote on the newest awardee.
“[The committee goes] in and does classroom walkthroughs and observations of the teacher, and then they come back as a committee and they vote,” Principal Dr. Kevin Hunt said.
This specific process is somewhat unique to Highland Park, as most schools select a teacher solely by voting.
“At Highland Park High School, we have a more vetted process where we. . . run it through this select committee,” Hunt said.
Often, an exemplary teacher can be nominated multiple times before winning.
“I’ve been nominated quite a few times, and I never win. So I just was like, ‘oh, it’s just another year,'” Townsend said.
Though Townsend may have been surprised to win, her students understood instantly why she had earned this honor.
“She was one of those teachers whose days that we just sat down and did notes were very rare. We usually had an interactive activity, which was really nice, and made it a lot easier to learn,” Townsend’s former student and NHS Co-President Ava Benbow said.
When the selection committee was reviewing nominees, Townsend’s passion for her students likely shone through as a defining characteristic. Townsend teaches both upperclassmen and freshmen, and finds different qualities admirable in both groups.
“I love freshmen. I like how you can kind of roast them a little bit,” Townsend said. “It’s more playful, and they still like to do fun things. They’re kind of goofy, and I like that. I adore their goofiness.”
As for her upperclassmen students, Townsend enjoys the community built in her classroom.
“Those kids are taking that class because they have a genuine interest in it. There’s this kind of camaraderie about that class that I really like,” Townsend said.
As an NHS sponsor, Townsend is also responsible for many community service projects around the campus, including originating the idea for the teacher-sponsored project, where students work with a teacher they know throughout the semester by bringing gifts and helping around their classroom.
“I feel like you can tell that she really does care, especially if you look at behind the scenes,” Benbow said. “You can really see her passion for helping other people shown through the dedication that she gives to NHS.”
Though by definition, only one teacher can win this award annually, Townsend feels there is an abundance of HPHS teachers who deserve to be honored and celebrated similarly.
“If you think back, Mr. Sanders is Teacher of the Year, and Mr. Barrows, you have all these people who are icons at the school. So to be in their presence, it means a lot,” Townsend said. “There are just so many good teachers here. I think everyone deserves it. I wish everybody could get this.”
