Pell Elementary School kindergarten teacher Diane McBrier has been named the Newport Public School District Teacher of the Year for the 2026-2027 school year.
McBrier is a veteran educator with 28 years of teaching experience, 26 of them with Newport Public Schools. She has taught at Underwood School, Sheffield School, Coggeshall School and Cranston-Calvert School before joining the staff at Pell Elementary in 2013.
“As a kindergarten teacher, Mrs. McBrier has helped shape the educational pathways of so many Newport students,” said Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain. “Fellow teachers and her students all praise the welcoming, patient, and caring atmosphere she creates in her classroom. Newport Public Schools are lucky to have such a dedicated educator, and we are proud to recognize Mrs. McBrier as Teacher of the Year.”
McBrier is known for an ability to create a classroom environment grounded in patience, consistency and care. Her focus on relationship-building and empathy was recently highlighted by a former student who invited her to their eighth-grade graduation, saying she “changed the trajectory” of their life by providing a safe and nurturing space during a time of personal instability.
Beyond the classroom, McBrier has served as a leader within the district, including on the School Improvement Team and the Teacher Support Team, which helps colleagues address academic and behavioral challenges. She has mentored new teachers and piloted the “Wonders” reading and writing program, helping align the district’s literacy curriculum with Common Core Standards.
“On behalf of the Newport School Committee, I want to extend congratulations to Mrs. McBrier on her well-deserved recognition as Teacher of the Year,” said School Committee Chairman James Dring. “It takes a special educator to spark a lifelong love of learning and exploration, and that is exactly what she has done for students in her kindergarten classrooms for the past 26 years.”
McBrier earned her Bachelor of Science in elementary education and her master’s in education with a concentration in early childhood from Salve Regina University. She holds a Rhode Island Early Childhood Education certification for prekindergarten through second grade.
