Talia Casares, a sixth-grade teacher, “had a special way of making students feel seen, valued, and capable,” her school district said
Credit: North Sanpete School District/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- An elementary school teacher has died unexpectedly nearly two weeks after being named Utah’s 2027 Teacher of the Year
- Talia Casares, a sixth-grade teacher at Moroni Elementary in Sanpete County, was awarded a $10,000 check and was set to compete against other state teachers of the year in a nationwide competition next year
- North Sanpete School District officials called her an “amazing” educator who made students feel “seen, valued and capable” in a touching statement announcing her death
Tributes are being paid to a Utah woman who died suddenly nearly two weeks after being named the state’s Teacher of the Year.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the unexpected news of the passing of Señora Talia Casares, a cherished sixth-grade teacher at Moroni Elementary,” the North Sanpete School District, in Sanpete County, shared in a statement on Facebook late on Monday, Sept. 14.
School officials described her as an “amazing” teacher who was adept at making students feel “seen, valued and capable.”
“Her love for her students, her passion for learning, and her joy in teaching were evident in everything she did,” the post read.
Credit: North Sanpete School District/Facebook
“She believed in her students and encouraged them to believe in themselves… We will miss her warmth, her energy, her kindness, and the unique light she brought to our school each day,” school officials added.
Casares was announced as 2027 Teacher of the Year at the Teacher of the Year Banquet in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept. 3, according to a North Sanpete School District press release.
“She is the first teacher of the year from North Sanpete School District,” the release stated. “We are lucky to have her! She is an excellent teacher and this recognition is well deserved!”
Per the release, Casares was originally from Mexico City and earned a Master of Arts in Spanish Pedagogy from Brigham Young University in nearby Utah County.
The educator, who previously won the 2025 Utah Coalition for Educational Technology Innovative Teacher Award, was given a check for $10,000 and was set to compete alongside her fellow state teachers of the year in a nationwide competition next year.
Credit: Google Maps
“I hope you know how much this means for me and my family,” Casares said after being presented with the award, in video footage included in a tribute shared by the North Sanpete School District.
“And I thank my leaders at the school… I don’t think this is just for me — I think this belongs to every teacher,” Casares continued. “Every teacher deserves this, because I know you do a lot of things that no one sees.”
Support is being offered to both students and staff, with social workers and counselors on hand for grief counseling at Moroni Elementary School, as well as a nearby middle school and high school.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Señora Casares’s family, her students, her colleagues, and everyone whose life she touched. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered,” the school district’s statement concluded.
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A teacher who said they’d worked with Casares left a comment on the school district’s statement, describing his former colleague as an “amazing teacher who had an incredible impact on many students,” adding that he was “deeply saddened” by the news of her death.
“Her smile could light up a room,” said another person. “She was looked up to by so many. I am honored to have worked beside and learned from her.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the North Sanpete School District for comment.
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