CHARLESTON, W.Va. –The 2026 Teacher and Service Personnel of the Year were announced Tuesday during the ‘Celebration of Excellence in Education’ ceremony at the West Virginia Culture Center.

The TOTY program, which began in 1964, is West Virginia’s longest-running teacher recognition program. The award is given to a teacher who exemplifies the positive qualities of public education.

This year the award went to Ohio County teacher Tiffany Barnes. Barnes works as a special education teacher at Wheeling Middle School.

She has a professional teaching certification endorsed in Multi-categorical Special Education (Pre-K-Adult), Autism, and Reading Specialist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies from American Military University and a Master of Education in Rea

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