Daughter of Mutual 8 couple has been honored for teaching excellence

OC TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Megan Avalos, the daughter of Michael and Rose Banfield of Mutual 8, has been recognized as Orange County Teacher of the Year for 2026. She is a fifth grade teacher at Rossmoor Elementary School. Avalos will now compete for California state honors and then hopefully national recognition.

Avalos has taught elementary school in the district for 14 years, but to walk into her fifth-grade classroom is to be transported to Hogwarts. The walls are covered in iconography of the “Harry Potter” series, with banners of the four houses, a “Muggle Studies” sign and a broomstick hanging near the ceiling. The decor is both fun and engages themes from the books.