The list of educators comprising the 34th class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame has been announced.
The list of inductees was revealed via a news release from the Hall of Fame on Thursday afternoon, with this year’s inductees collectively possessing more than 140 years of classroom experience.
The inductees include Margaret “Peg” Cagle of Reseda Charter Middle and High School in Reseda, California. Over her 26 years as a mathematics teacher, Cagle has earned several accolades, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Dr. Melyssa Ferro, a middle school science teacher from Caldwell, Idaho, has spent 25 years in the classroom and has embraced risk-taking as a way to encourage student growth through her philosophy of “fail forward.” Among her accolades, Ferro was a previous recipient of the NEA Foundation’s Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence.
Middle school science and social studies teacher Carla Neely of Cleveland, Ohio, has 26 years of experience in the classroom and is noted for her focus on student mental, emotional and physical health. In 2024, Neely was recognized as a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize.
Theresa Maughan, a high school social studies teacher at East Orange STEM Academy in East Orange, New Jersey, brings the longest tenure to the group with 44 years of teaching experience. Maughan, known for making her classroom “spaces of agency and belonging,” was named the New Jersey Teacher of the Year in 2022.
Rounding out the 2026 class is middle school math, science and gifted teacher for the US Department of Defense Education Activity in Japan, Dr. Michael Anthony Pope. Equity, collaboration and high expectations are listed as some of the most notable values Pope has strived to instill in his classroom over the course of his 26-year career, which has included serving as a U.S. representative to the Nobel Prize Teacher Summit.
These educators will be honored during National Teachers Hall of Fame week in Emporia, the week of June 15th. The week will include several activities such as the Emporia Trivia Challenge on Wednesday, June 17th at ESU’s Visser Hall, the Emporia Municipal Band’s regular concert and ice cream social Thursday, June 17 and the annual rededication of the National Memorial to Fallen Educators and induction banquet, both of which will be held Saturday, June 20th with the rededication at 10 am inside Visser Hall and the banquet starting at 5:30 pm inside the ESU Memorial Union’s Webb Hall.
Also to be honored during the activities will be the 2026 National Education Association’s Support Professional of the Year, Ric Calhoun, a campus supervisor, football coach and union leader at Northshore School District in Washington state.
