Meet Santa Rosa County District School's Teacher of the Year
Santa Rosa County District Schools has accomplished two firsts by selecting Christal Bennett as its 2025 Teacher of the Year.
She is Santa Rosa County's first Teacher of the Year to be chosen from Central School. She’s also the school district’s first band director to receive the prestigious award.
Now that she has received the district’s endorsement, she will wait to see if she makes the finals for the statewide Florida Teacher of the Year competition, whose winner will be revealed in May.
“It’s quite the honor,” Bennett told the News Journal Tuesday. “I have a sense of responsibility, and a little fear, representing band and small schools. I’m honored to do it.”
As a teacher in a K-12 school, Bennett wore many hats, from teaching ukulele one minute to musical theater the next. But one of her greatest achievements has been launching Central’s first-ever marching band this school year. While this herculean task was accomplished in a matter of months, she said she had been making silent preparations for years.
The new marching band has already earned “excellent” ratings during competitions, which is a significant accomplishment for the band’s inaugural year.
“There are a lot of things I did along the way to prepare us for this point,” she said.
Santa Rosa District Schools Superintendent Karen Barber credited Bennett's "outstanding" marching band program as part of what made her a great choice.
"We are so blessed to have incredibly talented teachers who are dedicated to our students and their success. Christal Bennett, Santa Rosa’s Teacher of the Year, is the personification of a caring, courageous and dedicated teacher. Under her leadership, Central School started a marching band program, and it is outstanding!" Barber wrote in a statement to the News Journal. "The school board and I are thrilled with Christal representing Santa Rosa County at the state level and we are appreciative to the Santa Rosa Education Foundation for their efforts to recognize and reward our amazing teachers."
Not only has the marching band contributed to the Central music department's high standing but it has also pumped new energy into the school through revived pep rallies.
Prior to her position at Central, rallies were not quite as energized as she knew the community hoped.
“That’s something I knew I could fix with a good band,” Bennett said.
Now, her students describe the rallies best: “hype.”
As she has worked with students for many consecutive years throughout their band journey, she has seen student growth that is audible in their improved sound, and visible through their confidence.
When asked what makes her job so rewarding, she will tell you it’s “seeing the pride that it brings to these students.”
She knows firsthand just how transformative being part of a school band program can be, as she started in Avalon Middle School and continued her music education at the University of West Florida.
“Once I became a band kid, I stayed a band kid,” Bennett said.
Playing the bassoon was not the only skill she took away from the experience, as it taught her valuable life skills such as responsibility and teamwork.
“Being part of a working, moving organization creates more well-rounded people,” Bennett said. “It creates this mindset that it’s not really about me; it’s about all of us.”
“I saw the value in that and wanted to provide that for my students,” Bennett said.
Bennett will be honored alongside all Teacher of the Year nominees and Santa Rosa educators at Santa Rosa’s Golden Apple Celebration on March 8.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa County 2025 Teacher of the Year is Christal Bennett
