Katie Heck Collins ’04 named AL Teacher of the Year

Katie Heck Collins, a 2004 Furman University alumna, was named Alabama Teacher of the Year for 2025-2026. Collins, who holds a bachelor’s in French from Furman and teaches English as a Second Language at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama, was selected from more than 150 educators. Collins will serve as the state’s official ambassador for public education and the teaching profession. In an announcement from the Alabama State Department of Education, she said her proudest professional accomplishment was working with colleagues to create the Communities Family Literacy Program, a fully funded program that provides language services to ESL families in the Hoover City School System.

Collins also holds a master’s in French education and a certification in ESL from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The news was also reported on local NBC station WVTM 13 and the Alabama News Center.