Moroni dual-immersion educator named Utah Teacher of the Year

MORONI—Ask Talia Casares what she teaches and the answer is not simply Spanish.

In her Moroni Elementary classroom, language becomes the thread connecting science, technology, literacy and problem-solving. That approach has earned Casares Utah’s highest honor for a public school teacher.

Casares, a Spanish dual-language immersion teacher in the North Sanpete School District, was named the 2027 Utah Teacher of the Year by the Utah State Board of Education last Thursday, Sept. 3 during a banquet at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. She received a $10,000 award.

Casares was selected from teachers representing school districts and charter schools across Utah. The selection committee included representatives from the Utah Education Association (UEA), parent and teacher advocacy organizations, higher education and charter schools. She is the first teacher from North Sanpete School District to receive the honor.

Casares combines Spanish language and literacy instruction with science, technology and STEM learning, giving students opportunities to develop academic skills while building confidence in what they can accomplish.

“She’s just a powerhouse when it comes to being a teacher, and she loves what she does,” North Sanpete Superintendent O’Dee Hansen said. “It shows in everything she does as a teacher. Her students love her. I mean, it’s just a perfect storm, perfect situation.”

Casares’ approach to teaching reflects her own academic background. Originally from Mexico City, she earned a master’s degree in Spanish pedagogy from Brigham Young University. Her graduate research examined how literacy, science and technology could be integrated into dual-language immersion classrooms, rather than taught as separate subjects.

That philosophy is evident in Casares’s classroom, said Moroni Elementary Principal Stacey Peterson.

“When you walk into her classroom, there’s high engagement,” Peterson said. “The kids are working in groups and discussing, talking. They are reading and highlighting questions of each other.

“She does a perfect blend,” Peterson added. “She integrates a lot of science experiments with the kids, collecting data and synthesizing the data to form hypotheses and setting up their own experiments to figure out the science, whatever topic they’re studying.”

Technology is another part of Casares’ teaching. Her students use technology to conduct experiments and examine data, while working with robotics and newer technologies. Peterson said Casares has even incorporated artificial intelligence into her classroom and taught students how to use it as a tool.

“She does a really great job at integrating STEM into all that she does, but then provides high, high collaboration in Spanish through speaking, reading, listening and writing,” Peterson said.

That emphasis on language has helped Casares’ students become stronger writers in Spanish, Peterson said.

“She’s one of my best writing teachers,” Peterson said. “She gets the kids really writing in a second language, which is amazing.”

Hansen said the value of learning a second language becomes even clearer as students move into adulthood.

Speaking from his own experience with Spanish, Hansen said the ability to communicate in another language has benefited him throughout his career, his community involvement and his interactions with Spanish-speaking residents.

“It has benefited me every day, and when I say it’s benefited me, it’s empowered me, and it’s allowed me to help other people…,” Hansen said.

He said Casares’ students will carry that same advantage with them as they pursue careers.

“It will pay off with all these kids for the rest of their lives,” Hansen said. “The amount of exposure that they have to the Spanish language will continue. They won’t forget it, and they’ll be able to use that wherever they go.”

Casares has also taken her advocacy for dual-language education beyond Moroni Elementary. Hansen said she recently took students to the Utah Legislature and met with the Education Appropriations Committee to advocate for the dual-immersion program.

“Her message that she delivered there was super powerful,” Hansen said. “She’s been an advocate not just here in North Sanpete, but with the state as well.”

Casares also supports fellow educators through mentorship, leadership and professional learning. In 2025, she received the Utah Coalition for Educational Technology’s Innovative Teacher Award.

UEA President Renée Pinkney congratulated Casares on the honor and said her recognition reflects the impact of her work both with students and other educators.

“Talia knows that great teaching is about challenging students while helping them see what they are capable of,” Pinkney said. “She brings creativity, expertise and purpose to her classroom, and she shares that same leadership with other educators. We are incredibly proud that Utah’s Teacher of the Year is a longtime UEA member and thrilled to celebrate Talia and everything she brings to public education.”

“Talia is a quiet and very humble person,” Peterson, her principal, said. “She’s taking all of this attention very graciously. This is not the kind of person she is to seek attention or even put herself above other people.”

Peterson said Casares demonstrated that humility during her acceptance speech, when she dedicated the award to teachers rather than accepting it solely for herself.

“She recognizes that she is one amongst many that work just as hard as she does,” Peterson said.

Peterson also said Spanish-speaking families in the community frequently turn to Casares for help and support.

“She’s always willing to help people throughout the community,” Peterson said. “She’s just an amazing, amazing person.”

In the 63-year history of Utah’s Teacher of the Year program, Casares is believed to be only the eighth recipient from a rural school district.

As Utah’s Teacher of the Year, Casares will compete alongside other state teachers of the year in the national Teacher of the Year competition next year.

She will also participate in state and national leadership opportunities, giving her a broader platform to share the experience and expertise she has developed with other teachers.