A veteran and award-winning Pasco educator known for her work supporting students through bilingual instruction is the state’s top teacher this year. 

Gabriela Whitemarsh, a bilingual math teacher at Pasco High School, was honored as the 2026 Washington State Teacher of the Year on Sept. 27. She is the first Pasco School District teacher to win the award in nearly 20 years. 

“Gabriela embodies the very best of Pasco School District,” said Pasco Superintendent Michelle Whitney in a statement. “Her commitment and relentless belief in her students’ potential have not only changed individual lives but has reshaped how we think about access and opportunity across our system. We are honored to celebrate her as Washington’s Teacher of the Year.” 

Whitemarsh has 18 years of teaching experience at the college level as well as in K-12 schools. She’s held multiple leadership roles, currently as multilingual department chair and bilingual facilitator at Pasco High School.  

In 2018, she launched Pasco High’s Advanced Multilingual Mathematics Program, designed to give students new to the U.S. the ability to take advanced math courses while gaining English proficiency. 

Whitemarsh’s victory means she will participate in state and national professional development opportunities and serve as a teacher-in-residence for the Teacher of the Year Program for the latter half of the 2025-26 school year. She also will now be considered for the National Teacher of the Year Award.