
Jeremy Davies, an International Baccalaureate (IB) math teacher at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, has been named Volusia County Schools’ 2026 Teacher of the Year. He was selected from 70 nominees and was one of five finalists for the award. Davies will now represent Volusia County in the state Teacher of the Year program.
The announcement was made during the VCS Teacher of the Year ceremony on Jan. 11 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. The event was co-hosted by FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools and presented by AdventHealth, with attendees including community partners, educators and supporters of the nominees.
Davies, a graduate of Spruce Creek High School, has been teaching in Volusia County schools since 2018, and at Spruce Creek since 2019. He helped increase his IB Math Analysis and Approaches course pass rate from 78.5 percent to 87.5 percent in just one year. In addition to teaching, Davies is the head coach of the boys and girls tennis teams, leading them to multiple championships. He shared that his passion for math and teaching was inspired by his grandfather, a professor in South America, and his mother, a math teacher.
“It is all about building relationships with students and having the rapport to where students will want to come in every day and put their best foot forward,” Davies said.
The ceremony also recognized three other teachers with special awards: Tasney Thomas from Westside Elementary in Daytona Beach, Shawnda Shaughnessy from Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach, and Erica Negedly from New Smyrna Beach High School. Each teacher was honored for embodying the district’s theme of “Empowering a Culture of Excellence.”