Volume 61, Issue 3
Fayette County Educator Dion Copeland Named KEA Teacher of the Year
In a powerful celebration of resilience, service, and advocacy, Dion Copeland, a social studies teacher at Carter G. Woodson Academy in Fayette County, was named the 2025 Kentucky Education Association (KEA) Teacher of the Year. Copeland received the KEA Award for Teaching Excellence during the association’s 153rd Delegate Assembly in April, marking a milestone in a career that inspires his students, colleagues, and community.
Born into adversity—his parents incarcerated, raised by his grandmother and great-grandmother in a neighborhood gripped by violence—Copeland’s path to becoming an educator was far from typical. He was once placed in an alternative school and narrowly avoided becoming another statistic in the school-to-prison pipeline. But he defied the odds to become a first-generation college graduate, earning a full scholarship to the University of Louisville, where he graduated with a bachelors’ degree in secondary social studies education. He has a masters’ degree from Midway University and is on track to be a nationally board certified teacher in December.
“I wanted to be a champion for students and someone they could depend on no matter what,” Copeland said. “I could never have imagined that my students and colleagues would also be champions for me.”
A Life-Changing Educator
Copeland has served as an educator and KEA member for four years, but his impact belies his tenure. As a teacher, club sponsor, dual credit coordinator, and mentor, he is known for his deep connections with students and tireless commitment to their growth and success.
“Mr. Copeland is one of the most dedicated teachers I’ve ever known,” said Faustin Luka, a junior at Carter G. Woodson Academy. “He listens, understands, and truly cares about helping us grow—not just as students, but as people. I’m a better student today because of the support he has given me.”
Copeland’s story resonates with many of the students he teaches because he understands the challenges they face. “The cultural capital I bring to my role as an educator resonates with many of the parents I work with,” Copeland said. “It reassures them of my ability to reach, teach, and advocate for their children.”
Leadership Beyond the Classroom
Copeland’s commitment to education goes well beyond his classroom. He proudly serves as a KEA building representative, has adopted two additional schools without union representation, is a member of the Fayette County Education Association (FCEA) Board, the KEA Central District Board, and the FCPS Defined Workday Committee.
His KEA union leadership has already led to policy wins that support educators, including amending the district’s Parental Leave Policy to include seven weeks of paid leave and protecting teacher planning periods. “I model and promote active membership because I’ve grown professionally and personally through my involvement with KEA,” Copeland said. “I want other educators to experience that, too, and understand the power we can have as a union. We are stronger together.”
Jessica Hiler, President of FCEA, praised Copeland as a transformative educator and leader. “He understands the importance of amplifying student and community voices that are too often overlooked,” Hiler said. “His willingness to support his colleagues in every way possible as well speaks to his unwavering dedication to students, fellow educators, and the teaching profession.”
A Voice for Students and Equity
Copeland’s work is rooted in a belief in every student’s ability to change their narrative, many of whom come from similar family and financial challenges that he did. “I teach my students that their mistakes do not define them,” he said. “There are chapters left in our stories; we can choose how to write the rest.”
As the 4-H club and male leadership club sponsor, Copeland has partnered with local colleges and universities, the Lexington Police and Fire Departments, the Partners for Gun Violence Prevention, and other organizations to expose students to new opportunities and resources in the community.
KEA President Eddie Campbell called Copeland a shining example of what public education can achieve. “Dion’s journey to the classroom is as inspiring as the work he does within it,” Campbell said. “He represents the very best of our profession: an educator whose personal journey fuels his commitment, whose voice lifts others, and whose heart never wavers in service to students and public education.”
A Shared Victory
For Copeland, this award is not just a personal achievement—it’s a recognition of the many hands that make education work. “We would be nothing without our team,” he said. “Support staff, custodians, food service workers, receptionists—they help make it possible for our students to learn.”
As public education continues to face political and social challenges, Copeland offers a message of unity and hope: “We must remind ourselves that we are stronger together.”
In Dion Copeland, the KEA found its Teacher of the Year—but his students have found the teacher of a lifetime.