Oct. 2, 2026
San Lorenzo Schools teacher Anneka Harper-Knox is a 2026 Alameda County Teacher of the Year, announced by the county Office of Education during an Oct. 1 awards ceremony that recognized 19 outstanding public school educators.
Harper-Knox, in her 19th year of teaching English at Bohannon Middle School, will advance as a contender for California Teacher of the Year honors. Her fellow awardee in Alameda County is Megan Hatschek, who teaches fifth grade at Think College Now Elementary School in Oakland. They are among more than 12,000 teachers countywide.
Harper-Knox has done all of her teaching at Bohannon, where she began as a student teacher. She also worked two years at the San Lorenzo Unified School District Office, including committed support for a teacher induction program in which she continues to participate as a mentor teacher. She is also noted for her leadership in restorative practices, focused on student conflict resolution and mutual support, and is known for holding community circles with her students every Friday to build trust and belonging.
Harper-Knox said she commutes to San Lorenzo from Berkeley because she deeply values Bohannon’s school community for its diversity, collaborative atmosphere and her familiarity and trust with colleagues.
“Our school really is supportive; there are a lot of opportunities to be creative, to be leaders; and I feel like my staff is very empathetic,” she said. “I just feel like I have freedom to do new ideas and try out new instructional strategies. … I also am comfortable enough with the way that my school runs and the way we work together so that I can do those things.”
Bohannon Principal Alexis Meron returned the compliment, describing Harper-Knox as someone who “leads with heart, purpose and care.”
“Our students and Bohannon community are better because of her,” Meron said.
The consistency at Bohannon means Harper-Knox has had the experience of older students returning to visit and share their memories of themselves in middle school and of her as their teacher.
“I think they come back and remind me of why I’m doing this work, like those days that are really hard or the days where I just feel really frustrated,” Harper-Knox said.
She said people sometimes remark that middle schoolers must be a challenging group to teach, but she learned as a teenager working with youth in summer camp that she could relate to and communicate with early adolescents.
Harper-Knox recalled the experience while student teaching of briefly being placed in second grade: “We had a great time, but I felt like I spent too much time being like, 'OK, where’s your pencil? OK, let’s tie your shoes.'”
“I think that why a lot of people feel like middle school is so awful or scary is that they didn’t have that safe place to be,” Harper-Knox said, “or they didn’t have someone to say, 'Hey, you know, I see you, and I know you’re struggling right now.”
She said her interaction with students includes “making a space where they can feel confident about being themselves and growing.” It’s a theme she also touched on in a video interview with the Alameda County Office of Education.
“As a parent, I started thinking more about what I would want for my own children,” Harper-Knox said in her Teacher of the Year video. “And I really want my students to feel like, hey, you know, if you’re having a rough day or having a great day, I’m still going to be here.”