Kelly Rozelle Named 2025 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year

December 13, 2024 | Sarasota

Kelly Rozelle of Venice High School was named the 2025 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year at the Ignite Education Teacher of the Year Award Celebration hosted by the Education Foundation of Sarasota County in partnership with Sarasota County Schools on Dec. 12, 2024.   

Rozelle will represent district educators throughout the 2025 calendar year and will serve as the district’s nominee for state Teacher of the Year.  

“We are thrilled to celebrate Kelly and all of our talented Teachers of the Year districtwide,” noted Terry Connor, Superintendent of Schools. “Our teachers inspire their students and tirelessly support their respective school communities each day – we are thankful for their contributions to both the present and future success of our greater community.”

Rozelle attended the celebration along with her fellow finalists – Rebekah Zech, Elementary School Teacher of the Year from Taylor Ranch Elementary School and Maggie Higgins, Middle School Teacher of the Year from Pine View Middle School.

In addition, the Ignite Education Innovation award was presented to Mark Mullen, Automotive Service Technology instructor at Suncoast Technical College. The award recognizes a teacher who is creative in approach, willing to think outside the box, and able to connect students with learning in unique ways.  

The Education Foundation hosts this event each year through the support of its generous sponsors. The celebration brings together exceptional teachers and their families, school and district administrators, local politicians, and business and community leaders. This year’s event was held at the Ora, where guests enjoyed dinner and a program led by co-emcees Kari Johnson and Tim Ferguson. The finalists were introduced by their respective 2024 Teacher of the Year finalists —Ronnique Major, Haley Brown, and Dennis Pinna. The Innovation award was presented by Josette Ortega, 2024 Innovation Teacher of the Year.

“All teachers who were recognized tonight deserve our enthusiastic gratitude and support,” said Education Foundation President and CEO Jennifer Vigne. “It’s so clear that they are driven by their passion for this work and it’s making a difference in the lives of our community’s youth every single day.” 

The Ignite Education annual tribute to teachers throughout Sarasota County is a highly anticipated event. Thanks to the generosity of presenting sponsor Sunset Automotive Group, the Education Foundation presented Rozelle with a $6,000 cash award and Mullens, Zech, and Higgins with cash awards of $3,000 each. All 46 Teacher of the Year Award recipients received cash awards of $300.   

The award celebration was made possible by presenting sponsor Sunset Automotive Group, gold sponsors Publix Charities and Suncoast Credit Union, with the addition of many other generous organizations. The Education Foundation is grateful for their continued support of teachers.