Lorelei Chavez, a Bernalillo High School teacher, was honored as the 2025 New Mexico Teacher of the Year during a surprise ceremony on Oct. 31, making history as the first Native American educator to receive the award.
Chavez, a graduate of Bernalillo High School, teaches Native American studies and has more than ten years of experience in education. Before returning to BHS, she taught history at Santo Domingo School for three years.
The event was attended by dignitaries including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico Public Education Secretary-Designate Mariana Padilla, state Rep. Derrick Lente, Bernalillo Public Schools Superintendent Matt Montaño, and past Teacher of the Year winners. Chavez’s mother, Pauline, a language teacher at BHS, was also present.
“A lot of the work that we want to do better in this state has everything to do by recognizing the value of the backgrounds and the cultures of students at this school and every school,” Lujan Grisham said. “Teaching language and cultural histories is critical to the success of this state.”
Along with the Teacher of the Year title, Chavez was presented with a $10,000 award from the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, which will support her professional development and fund her trip to Washington, D.C., for the national Teacher of the Year program.
According to a press release from the New Mexico Public Education Department, Chavez previously served as an Indigenous curriculum instructional coach at Santo Domingo School, where she used a grant to host culturally responsive workshops and develop educator pipelines for educational assistants pursuing degrees and certifications.
From 2013 to January 2020, she was the Native American liaison at BHS, implementing extracurricular programs and collaborating with pueblo representatives to support Native American students.
“Lorelei Chavez is someone who really demonstrates an incredible commitment to her students, her passion that she shows every day, and to really make sure that students know it’s important to celebrate your language, your culture and your identity,” Padilla said.
Chavez, surprised by the award, dazzled in an 80s-themed Halloween costume and spoke eloquently to the crowd, which included many of her current students, about her passion for them and her colleagues, all without a prepared speech.
Chavez said she is passionate about indigenizing education, promoting the use of Indigenous languages and honoring Indigenous histories and narratives. She wants to elevate and highlight Indigenous experiences in New Mexico, recognizing and acknowledging all 23 nations and tribes, as well as the students, community members and leaders from these communities.
“I’m super passionate about teacher mental wellness, and I’m super passionate about making sure that we as teachers, as students too, are taking care of our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our souls,” Chavez said in her acceptance speech. “As Teacher of the Year, my main goal and my hope is to really push and promote and encourage teacher wellness in schools, not just in New Mexico, but across the nation.”