The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) announced Keaʻau High School’s Freshman Academy coordinator and senior mentor teacher J. Elise Hannigan as the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year.

Hannigan has been at Keaʻau High for 13 years and previously served as an English educator, teaching a wide range of grade levels and subjects from ninth-grade inclusion classes to AP English Literature for seniors. She now dedicates her time to the freshmen students, helping to cultivate a supportive and inclusive school culture as they transition to high school.

Since taking on her new role of Freshman Academy Coordinator, Hannigan has reestablished the schoolʻs ʻSummer Bridgeʻ program, which helps new students build connections and a sense of belonging before the first day of school. Keaʻau has seen significant improvements as a result of these types of initiatives — the schoolʻs ninth grade retention rates decreased from over 15% to 5%, and the Freshman Academy obtained certification as a Model Academy through the National Career Academy Coalition.

Hannigan has served as a mentor teacher for new teachers, has served on various committees with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association, and CollegeBoard Advanced Placement.

She earned an associate of arts in early childhood education from Olympic College, a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Washington State University, and a Masters of Education from the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo.

Hannigan will represent Hawaiʻi in the National Teacher of the Year program. A national winner will be named this spring in Washington, D.C.