Every great community is shaped by great teachers.
This year, the Greene County Community Foundation, in partnership with James Investment, was proud to recognize Tess Rivero of Bellbrook High School as the 2026 Greene County Public School Teacher of the Year. The award celebrates educators whose dedication, leadership, and commitment to excellence leave a lasting impact on their students, schools, and communities.
The Teacher of the Year Award begins with nominations from students, parents, colleagues, and community members across Greene County’s participating public school districts. Each district selects one outstanding nominee, and from those educators, one is chosen to receive the countywide Teacher of the Year honor.
For Rivero, the recognition is both humbling and deeply meaningful.
“It is an honor to be selected to represent this great county,” she said. “Greene County is an amazing place to live and work. It is humbling to be selected because there are countless great teachers in this area.”
For anyone who knows Rivero, it’s easy to see why she was selected.
A Lifelong Commitment to Greene County
Teaching has always been part of Rivero’s story.
A lifelong Bellbrook resident, she comes from a family of educators. Both of her parents dedicated more than three decades to teaching in Bellbrook schools while also coaching generations of student athletes. After attending Bellbrook schools from kindergarten through graduation, Rivero eventually found herself back in the community that helped shape her.
Although she initially resisted following in her parents’ footsteps, everything changed while serving as a graduate teaching assistant.
“I always enjoyed helping others, but when I had my first classroom is when I realized that teaching is my calling.”
Today, Rivero has been teaching for 27 years, including the past 12 years at Bellbrook High School.
What keeps her there is more than familiarity, it’s the people.
She loves seeing former students around town, reconnecting with former teachers, and watching generations of families share in Greene County traditions. Those lifelong relationships reinforce what she values most about education: building strong communities.
Challenging Students to Think
Rivero describes her teaching philosophy in two words: productive struggle.
Rather than simply delivering information from the front of the classroom, she creates lessons that encourage students to think critically, solve problems, and actively engage with the material.
“Students in my classes will work their brains, just like they work their muscles during practice for a sport or their voices during practice for choir,” she explained. “Students are doing the work and thinking during my lessons, not just writing down information and then regurgitating it for a test.”
Her commitment to continuous improvement extends beyond the classroom. Rivero earned her National Board Certification in 2008, an achievement held by only a small percentage of educators nationwide, and credits the experience as one of the most transformative moments of her professional career. She also speaks highly of the collaborative culture within the Bellbrook High School math department, where teachers work together daily to support one another and continually improve the learning experience for students.
Building Relationships That Last
While Rivero is passionate about mathematics, some of her proudest moments have little to do with equations.
She shared the story of a former AP Statistics student who recently graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Statistics and accepted a data science internship with the Kansas City Chiefs. While she was proud to see his academic success, what meant even more was learning that he continues to spend time with the peer he met through Bellbrook’s Supportive Peers program.
Those lasting friendships are exactly what Rivero hopes to inspire.
Supportive Peers promotes authentic relationships and inclusion by pairing students with classmates who have different abilities or needs. Since launching during the 2021-22 school year with just 23 pairs, the program has grown to more than 150 participants. Student volunteers spend hundreds of hours supporting their peers both inside and outside the classroom while building genuine friendships that often continue long after graduation.
One memory, in particular, stands out.
During this year’s Sugar Maple Festival parade, all four student Ambassadors rode through town alongside their peers.
“When they came down the hill into town, all smiles and waves, it was all I could do not to cry tears of joy.”
Rivero hopes being named Teacher of the Year will also shine a light on the students who make programs like Supportive Peers so successful.
“They are an amazing group of young people who have inspired and truly changed our community.”
Celebrating the Educators Who Shape Our Communities
The Greene County Public School Teacher of the Year Award exists to recognize educators who make a meaningful difference, not only through academic excellence, but through their lasting impact on students and their communities.
Rivero embodies that mission.
Her passion for education, commitment to lifelong learning, and dedication to fostering meaningful relationships have touched countless lives throughout Greene County.
As she reflects on nearly three decades in education, she has one message for those considering the profession:
“Young people should not be afraid to pursue this as a career. It is incredibly rewarding. I’ve never dreaded going to work; in fact, my job definitely does not feel like work. I am so lucky to work with young people in Greene County.”
