NOTTOWAY COUNTY, Va. — Virginia Teacher of the Year Madeline Duffy, a special education teacher from Nottoway High School, shared her aspirations for the upcoming school year with CBS 6.

This is Duffy's eighth year of teaching, and while she has a new title this year, she said she's most excited to welcome four new students and the rest of her class from last school year back into her classroom.

"My students are my biggest priority," Duffy said. "We just had open house the other day, and, you know, it's so refreshing to feel your students walk in and they're excited to see you and I'm probably more excited to see them than they are to see me."

CBS 6 first introduced you to Duffy in 2024 after she started the Cougar Cafe, which delivers drinks to school employees as a way to help her special education students learn money, communication and cooking skills.

That initiative will continue this year, and the shop has a new location inside the school building. Duffy will also travel around the Commonwealth to speak to other teachers, highlighting the work of small rural schools.

"Show people that you don't have to have all the resources in the world or be from the biggest area to create amazing opportunities for your students and showcase all the hard work that they do every day," Duffy said. "There's so many wonderful things that not only our division but all small counties and public schools do across the state and I really, really want to highlight that this year, because I feel like sometimes they get overlooked and I want to be a voice for them."

In October, Duffy will start the process of the race for the National Teacher of the Year. She says she's most excited to meet the teachers from across the country, and she says her biggest focus is ensuring her students are prepared for life after high school.

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