Douglass Dominates at 2026 Educators Rising State Conference

Educators Rising Kentucky is the career and technical student organization (CTSO) for middle and high school students interested in the education field. Club members from Fayette County Public Schools excelled at the 2026 statewide conference, where the theme was “Rising Stars: Lights, Leadership, Action!”

Top 5 Awards by Category

• Children’s Literature (K-3 Varsity) – 1st place to Alisson Rodriguez Cruz of Frederick Douglass High
• Children’s Literature (PreK Varsity) – 2nd to Lillian Kelly of Bryan Station High 
• Children’s Literature (PreK Varsity) – 3rd to Gilianie Rodriguez Robles of Douglass
• Creative Lecture (JV) – 2nd to Elijah Maison of Douglass
• Educators Rising Moment (JV) – 2nd to Jessica Martinez of Bryan Station High
• Ethical Dilemma (Varsity) – 1st place to Della Hudson, Brooklynn Hawkins, Wyatt Smith, and Claire Soder of Douglass
• Ethical Dilemma (JV) – 4th to Camila Diaz, Azalea Fergerson, and Angel White of Douglass
• Exploring Administrative Careers (Varsity) – 5th to Jayla Ramirez of Douglass
• Exploring Non-Core Subject Teaching Careers (JV) – 1st place to Karan Mast of Douglass
• Interactive Bulletin Board, Elementary (JV) – 5th to Kendall Houser and Grace Wisniewski of Douglass
• Job Interview (Varsity) – 1st place to Freddie Hostler of Douglass
• Lesson Planning & Delivery – Arts (JV) – 2nd to Braden Mayes of Douglass
• Lesson Planning & Delivery – Arts (Varsity) – 1st place to Izzy Robinette of Douglass
• Lesson Planning & Delivery – Humanities (Varsity) – 2nd to Anna Counts of Douglass
• Lesson Planning & Delivery – Professional Development (Varsity) – 2nd to Eleanor Boyd and Sloane Yancy of Douglass
• Lesson Planning & Delivery – STEM (Varsity) – 4th to Sebastian Malave Carreno of Douglass
• PSA on Teacher Recruitment (JV) – 3rd to Owen Reynolds and Ibrahim Okasha of Douglass
• Researching Learning Challenges (Varsity) – 2nd to  Emily Troth, Leilani Everhart, and Olivia Kincaid of Douglass
• Spanish Educators Rising Moment – 2nd to Jessica Martinez of Bryan Station
• Visualize Service Project (Varsity) – 1st place to Ashley Bylund and Riley Porter of Douglass

Next up is the June 20-23 national conference in Portland, Oregon, with the theme “Teach with Purpose, Lead with Passion.”