Parkland Middle School Educator Wins MCPS Teacher of the Year
Megan Campbell, instrumental music teacher at Parkland Middle School, was named the 2025–2026 MCPS Teacher of the Year during the Distinguished Service to Education Honors celebration at The Music Center at Strathmore on May 6. She will now compete for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
At Parkland, she teaches 10 percent of Parkland’s 1,195 enrolled students. Her students are racially and ethnically diverse, and she also teaches students with varying abilities. The number of students enrolled in band and orchestra at Parkland has increased by more than 75 percent. Her students perform regularly at school and community events, and she organizes a trip to Hersheypark every year for her students to perform competitively.
Campbell’s students have earned at least Excellent ratings at every adjudication event since she began teaching there, with her 2023 band and her 2024 orchestra earning Superior ratings. She contributed to the founding of the MCPS Marching Band Showcase and initiated the Middle School Massed Band Performance of the national anthem. She also manages Senior All-County Orchestra and coaches the woodwinds for the Albert Einstein Marching Titans. She began her career at John F. Kennedy High School. She grew that program, introduced her students to the competitive marching band world and led the Marching Cavaliers to fourth in the state in their division at the state championships.
As Teacher of the Year, Campbell will receive a one-year car lease from Fitzgerald Auto Malls.
She was one of three finalists for this year’s Teacher of the Year, along with Meredith Luther, kindergarten teacher at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School, and Pete Beach, social studies teacher at Richard Montgomery High School.
There were two other big reveals for the evening. Paraeducator John Sparrow was named Supporting Services Employee of the Year, and German Diaz-Peña, a senior at Rockville High School, won the Board of Education’s Student Service Award.
Sparrow was one of three finalists, along with Esquibel (Celi) Andino, bus operator, Randolph Transportation Depot and Josephine (Josie) Marinucci, school secretary I, Westover Elementary School.
Diaz-Peña was also one of three finalists, along with Samantha (Sam) Ross, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, and Kylie Zhang, a sophomore at Poolesville High School.
John Sparrow has dedicated nearly all of his 39 years with MCPS to the Global Ecology Program, and is described as the “heart and soul” of the Poolesville High School program.
He is deeply involved in every aspect of the program, from planning itineraries to setting up tents, preparing meals and managing equipment. An avid nature lover, Sparrow works with multiple agencies to ensure that each field trip connects classroom learning to real-world environmental experiences. He builds relationships with students that help them learn not only the classroom content, but also life skills such as how to read a map, plant a tree or communicate clearly with adults. Nearly every day, he drives the school bus taking students and staff on field experiences, ranging from Sugarloaf Mountain to destinations across the Chesapeake Bay.
Sparrow knows all 400 names of his current students, and can recall hundreds of students from the past. He takes the time to get to know them and their interests. He sponsors the school’s BayCo Club, which encourages students to take action to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and promotes environmental advocacy, such as storm drain awareness, creating oyster reef balls and increased recycling at school.
German Diaz-Peña transformed his passion for sports into a dynamic, student-led initiative. After an injury ended his athletic career, he channeled his energy into organizing and leading the coverage of all Rockville sports events, ensuring the program’s success through careful scheduling, assigning reporters and providing engaging commentary.
Diaz-Peña is also dedicated to helping others succeed. He regularly offers constructive feedback to fellow student announcers, coaches them with a positive attitude and recruits future leaders to ensure the program’s sustainability. His contributions extend beyond the school, including a partnership with MCPS-TV and volunteering to take photos at senior nights and games, always offering his work to other schools in need.
Diaz-Peña also serves as vice president of Rockville’s Student Government Association. He is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, earning the Seal of Biliteracy. His ambition to pursue a career in sports medicine reflects his desire to help others, a commitment that has shaped his service both in and out of school.
A number of other MCPS staff members and community members were also recognized for excellence and commitment during the event, which celebrated public education and drew hundreds of people. They were:
- Ashley Kapp, Third Grade Special Education Teacher, Brooke Grove Elementary School, Rising Star Teacher of the Year
- Dr. Jeffrey Sullivan, MCPS Director of Athletics, Dr. Edward Shirley Award for
Excellence in Educational Administration and Supervision - David Child, General Manager of the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Board of Education Business Partner
- Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) Family Resiliency Program (Executive
Director Kathy Hedge), Board of Education Community Partner - Bridget Calhoun, Winston Churchill High School, Board of Education School Service Volunteer
- Frank De Las Casas, Walter Johnson High School, R.A.I.S.E. Champion of the Year
- Felicia Jackson, SEIU Security Chapter Employee of the Year
- Charles (Rob) Powers, SEIU Maintenance Chapter Employee of the Year
- David Ray, SEIU Building Services Employee of the Year
- Loretta Taylor, SEIU Food Services Chapter Employee of the Year
- Trina Vogel, SEIU Media and Technology Chapter Employee of the Year
Watch a video replay of the evening.