Vacaville Unified School District is proud to celebrate Christina “Mitsi” Mitsiopoulos, English/AVID Teacher and AVID Coordinator at Will C. Wood High School, as its 2025-26 Teacher of the Year.
Mitsi is a deeply empathetic educator and fierce advocate for students. She has transformed the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, which supports students, many of whom are first-generation college-bound, in developing the academic skills, confidence, and support systems needed for post-secondary success, into a cornerstone of the campus. Under her leadership, the school is on its way to becoming an AVID Showcase School, a reflection of her tireless dedication, instructional expertise, and ability to bring people together in the service of students.
She is widely respected not only for her engaging English instruction and seamless integration of AVID strategies, but for the way she makes students feel seen, safe, and capable. 
She mentors teachers across campus, strengthens systems that support first-generation college-bound students, and creates learning spaces where students believe in themselves and their futures. One AVID student shared that Mitsi was “the one who held my hand on the first day of AVID and never let go,” describing how her guidance, encouragement, and belief helped transform uncertainty into confidence and possibility. As that student prepares for graduation, she carries with her the knowledge that AVID and Ms. Mitsi changed the trajectory of her life.
VUSD congratulates Mitsi on this well-deserved honor and looks forward to celebrating her as she represents the district in the Solano County Office of Education’s Teacher of the Year program this spring.