Julia Edwards, choral music teacher at Bruce Whittier Middle School/Poland Regional High School has been named 2026 Teacher of the Year by the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Educate Maine it was announced this morning.

On Thursday, October 16, 2025, Edwards celebrated this award with fellow RSU 16 educators and students during a surprise ceremony in the Poland Region HIgh School gymnasium.

“Congratulations to Julia Edwards on earning this well-deserved recognition as 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year!” Pender Makin, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, said.  “Her enthusiasm for music and its ability to serve as a connector across cultures and differences is remarkable and her gift for extending that love of the arts to her students is admirable.  Maine is lucky to have Julia representing and advocating for educators statewide throughout the next year.”

“Music is at the root of some of the best learning in history.  Try to summon up the elementary lessons that have stuck with you and you’ll often find them attached to rhythm or song.  As a community, we find our shared humanity through music.  It builds bridges, it spans generations and cultures and it holds power for positive change,” said Julia Edwards, 2026 Maine Teacher of the Year.  “We are fortunate that, in addition to living in a state filled with stellar educators, we can also celebrate Maine’s music programs that serve both their students and communities.”

Ms. Edwards is the choral music teacher at RSu 16’s Bruce Whittier Middle School and Poland Regional High School in Poland.  She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, where she studied oboe and served as a teaching fellow for the Childrlen’s Chorus of Springfield.  She returned home to Bridgton after graduating college to teach elementary music in North Conway, New Hampshire for two years before accepting her current position in the fall of 2012.

Outdside of teaching, Ms. Edwards enjoys skiing, cross-stitching, playing concerts with her folk band, “Bold Riley,” and exploring the Maine woods with her husband, two children and dog, Baxter.