Clear Creek Amana teacher Marissa Moore named an Iowa Regional Teacher of the Year

TIFFIN — Marissa Moore, a language arts teacher at Clear Creek Amana High School, inspires career pathways, builds confidence and shows “genuine care” for her students.

Moore, 34, is one of nine teachers from across the state named a 2026 Iowa Regional Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Department of Education, a recognition she said was “surprising.”

She’s a teacher today because of the “top notch” educators she had from kindergarten all the way through graduate school who were her “spark,” she said.

Moore said high school students today get a bad reputation, but they are what she loves about her job.

“Teenagers have a lot of really great thoughts and ideas about the world. I definitely think teenagers are worth our time, and I would never want to teach another age group,” Moore said.

“They challenge you. They’re not afraid to tell you if your haircut is stupid or you should stop wearing that shirt. I once got rid of a pair of shoes because too many kids commented on how ugly they were. I was like, ‘Fine, you win.’ And I immediately took them to Goodwill,” Moore said with a laugh.

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Moore started at Clear Creek Amana High in 2018, moving to Iowa with her husband from Denver, Colorado. Before that, she had never lived outside western Pennsylvania, where she grew up.

Mark Moody, now director of schools for the Clear Creek Amana Community School District, laughed when he reflected on his first meeting with Moore when he was principal at the high school.

“She arrived at my office unannounced, uninvited and unprepared for,” Moody said. “I’m not even sure we had a job posted … Essentially, she forced me to have an interview with her very spur of the moment. It didn’t take long to know she had a lot to offer.”

That includes a certification to teach language arts and special education, Moody said. She “checked all the boxes,” but it was Moore’s personality that sealed the deal, he said.

“I don’t think we offered her a job on the spot, but I think we did within the next 24 hours,” Moody said. “I thought she was a good fit … which has proved to be very true. She has morphed into a real leader.”

Moore said she approached Moody for a job because she had heard great things about the Clear Creek Amana district and especially leadership at the high school.

Moody described Moore as “passionate.”

“If there’s a word stronger, I would use that to describe how she feels about education and kids,“ he said.

He also described her as “caring,” “stern and straightforward.”

“The kids still know she has their best interest in mind,” he said.

A pivotal moment of Moore’s career has been taking on the high school’s newspaper class at Moody’s encouragement.

Her first year teaching that class, they didn’t print a single newspaper. Today, they print monthly.

“Now, I have a full class of students and a team of leaders who are skilled and trained and doing an incredible job,” Moore said.

Ella Stineman, 17, a senior at Clear Creek Amana in Moore’s journalism class, said Moore creates a classroom environment where students can “speak freely and feel safe.”

“Mrs. Moore is unlike any teacher I’ve ever had. She’s a genuine person who likes to have fun. She’s sassy. She keeps it real,” Stineman said.

Lili Nandell, 17, also a senior at Clear Creek Amana, said Moore encouraged her to join the journalism class. She stayed “because I love the environment, the people, and I care about everyone on the newspaper team dearly.”

“Mrs. Moore saw potential in me and made me chief editor,” Nandell said. “Her seeing that I have the ability to do these amazing things has really driven me and led me to (the University of Iowa’s) journalism program. She sees the good in everybody and made me believe in myself.”

Because of her experience in her high school journalism class, Nandell plans to study at Kirkwood Community College for two years before going to Iowa to study journalism.

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Julieta Ortiz, 17, also a senior, said Moore “believes in you so much, that you start to believe in yourself.”

Since the three students started in journalism their freshman and sophomore years of high school, they’ve worked to deepen the impact of their articles and create a print product monthly. Students have designated roles — editor, writer, photographer, graphic design and social media.

They all said that Moore has pushed them to write articles outside of their comfort zone and interview students to produce stronger stories.

As a result of their hard work, the Clear Creek Amana school newspaper was selected as a top 15 news team finalist by the Iowa High School Press Association last spring.

“I feel like I do very little. The students in that classroom are such fantastic leaders. They run the show. I’m the keeper of the calendar, but the class is propelled by students, and I feel like if someone deserves credit for the success of the newspaper, it is 100 percent them,” Moore said.

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Moore also teaches ninth grade language arts and Advanced Placement English language and composition. She advises the high school student council and serves on numerous leadership teams in the school district.

Nominations for Iowa Regional Teacher of the Year are submitted by educators, administrators, students, families and other community members.

Each teacher was recognized for exemplary instructional practices and their significant contributions to K-12 education in Iowa.

The teachers were finalists for 2026 Iowa Teacher of the Year, an honor given last month to Stephanie Pritts, an elementary teacher and instructional coach in Sheldon.

Moore has a bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University and a master’s degree in education in study areas of English language arts and special education from the University of Pittsburgh.

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