Teacher of the Year Award

If you need to do the impossible—maybe there is a kid who will not write, or a racoon under your porch that won’t come out, or a rut in your pedagogical thinking you can’t escape—you call Jennifer Stastny. The Nebraska Writing Project is thrilled to present Jennifer Stastny, English teacher at Omaha Central High School, with the 2026 Carol MacDaniels Teacher of the Year Award. Jen’s nominator, Rachel Jank, writes, “This award seeks to recognize educators who go beyond the classroom to inspire their peers, bridge the gap between school and community, and publicly advocate for the sanctity of teacher expertise. In the fifteen years I have known Jen, she has embodied these standards with a rare blend of pedagogical brilliance and radical courage.”

As a teacher, Jen is endlessly creative. As Rachel writes, “Jen’s ability to guide students through the complexities of reading, writing, and—most importantly—thinking is nothing short of astounding.” In the words of one of Jen’s high school students,

I wasn't sure what to expect from a Holocaust Literature class, but it sure wasn't Jen Stastny. Ms. Stastny didn't just talk at us, she talked to us. She harbored our creativity, our art, and our critical thinking skills in ways that most teachers I had never bothered with. She didn't see us as kids, but as almost-adults: people who were smart enough to sit at the grown-up table, but still sometimes needed the benefit of the doubt. She challenged our biases vehemently, laughed with us openly, and taught with. . . compassion . . . .

Another adds,

She has a way of making everyone around her feel seen, and her kindness, humor, and lighthearted personality made her classroom a place where I felt safe to be myself. As someone who struggled with feeling accepted for being queer, having a teacher who openly supported and accepted me meant more than I can put into words. At a time when I didn't always feel understood, Ms. Stastny showed me compassion without judgment. She reminded me that I was worthy of respect exactly as I am.

Jen reminds students that their voices matter, and she has endless ways for students to express those voices, from abcedarian poems, to fold-out journals, to museum curation notes, and she has shared many of these with the wider Nebraska Writing Project network with her characteristic humor. For those who know Jen, one of her students perhaps sums up her best when she says, “[Ms. Stastny] is funny and indignant and deeply committed to humanity.”

Jen’s commitment to humanity via teaching extends far beyond the classroom, as she is a longstanding member of the Nebraska Writing Project advisory board and former Co-Director, with involvement that ranges from National Parks collaborations to creating a virtual writing marathon for teachers across the country. But one of her most longstanding and far-reaching commitments is with Warrior Writers, a writing workshop program for active duty military, vets, and their families. This program is run as a partnership between Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Writing Project, and Jen’s investment in this program spans more than a decade. Many of the Warrior Writers that Jen works with wanted to write in support for this award—too many to quote. They shared that she “creates an environment that brings out the best in participants,” that she “makes the class welcoming and interesting, so you want to keep coming back.” A participant writes, “As veterans, you might correctly assume that we can be a bit proud and opinionated about or work. Yet Jen has such an easy manner . . . that each session is truly an ‘I’m lucky to be part of this group’ experience.” Another participant echoes this theme: “Through her caring people skills and superior writing expertise, our NWWW group has gelled into a writing family; Jen is a great Mom!” Jen not only shows up unfailingly on Warrior Writers Saturdays, but also to writer funerals, bearing witness to the words and lives of her participants. The Warrior Writers participants are effusive in describing the impact that Jen has had on their voices: due to her, one now has confidence to give his grandson feedback on a novel-in-progress, and another says, “I just finished my first 8000 word short story - Jen and the Nebraska Warriors got me there!” Another Warrior Writer shares that with Jen’s support, he has published 14 short stories in literary journals, and “encouraged, perhaps I should say pushed, by Jen, I am now working on a novel.” Those of us who know NeWP know our classic Writing Marathon introduction: My name is Rachael, and I’m a writer. As a frequent Writing Marathon facilitator, Jen helps others not just say these words, but embody them. Can’t you hear that belief shining through the words of her Warrior Writers? She sees them all as writers, and they see themselves that way, too.

And Jen is a writer herself, her prose or pen pal letters full of humor, thoughtful observations, and sometimes incredible stories from her animal rescue work or many travels with students. As Rachel writes, “Jen’s personal writing has been a great example of someone who continues to hone her craft, not for the sake of performance or accolades, but because she is committed to the practice that nourishes the soul,” inviting students and workshop participants into writing as a meaningful experience.

She is—in the words of her nominator—“a beacon” for fellow teachers, too. Rachel writes of first encountering Jen as an early career teacher, completely depleted by the mental load of the profession: “Jen didn't just offer intellectual support; she offered community. Whether it was through her legendary homemade brownies—which, quite literally, redefined my expectations of what this snack could be—or her willingness to share her seasoned perspective, she nurtured the well-being of everyone in that room.” That commitment to well-being extends to larger questions of teacher sustainability. From Rachel,

What truly sets Jen apart is her refusal to let ‘the machine’ of the educational system stifle the humanity of the classroom. She has mastered the art of identifying systemic [flaws] and slapping a return to sender label on it. I frequently recall a story she shared regarding a mandate to turn around essay grades on an impossible timeline. Rather than quietly burning out, she and their department colleagues took their massive stacks of grading to the administration’s office, physically lining the room with the sheer volume of their workload. This act was more than a protest; it was a masterclass in collective advocacy. It taught me that community is the only way to survive in education, and that resistance is not only possible but necessary.

Jen models for all of us what teaching can be. One of her former high school students wrote, “She is one of the reasons I decided to pursue a degree in education. The way she connected with students, encouraged them, and made them feel important showed me the kind of teacher I hope to become one day.” As Rachel writes, “Jen represents the heart of what it means to be a ‘career teacher.’ She has seen the challenges of the system and chosen to respond with creativity instead of cynicism. She has shaped not only the lives of her students but the careers of her peers.” 

She lights pathways for all of us, and we are proud to present the 2026 Carol MacDaniels award to Jennifer Stastny.