FLORENCE, Ala. — Florence Middle School Choir Teacher Andrew Mills has been named the Alabama District 7 Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Mills was first named Florence Middle School's Teacher of the Year at the Veterans Day ceremony in November 2024. He went on to be named the Florence City Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year at the district's annual Falcons of the Year Banquet in February.

Asked about the District 7 honor, Mills said, "I’m honored to represent the hard-working teachers in my school system!" 

Mills, who teaches choir, guitar, and general music, said he was surprised when FMS Principal Dr. Ashley Bowling announced the initial honor. He added that school administrators and his family were "really good at keeping it a secret."

"I was just enjoying the program, enjoying the speaker, and then at the very end of the program, Dr. Bowling announced Teacher of the Year, and it happened to be me," Mills said. "I had no clue that I was in the running for that, but it's a great honor to be selected."

Bowling speaks highly of Mills' teaching practices in her years working with him. "Never ... has a student asked to leave chorus once they met Drew Mills," she said. "He has a 100 percent success rate of keeping students and growing their interest in music. He can embrace all students, regardless their level and talent, and he keeps them and makes them just fantastic musicians."

Mills said that education and music have always been central to his life, making his career path feel like a natural fit. "Education has kind of been a part of my family for a long time," he said. "When I started band in sixth grade, I kind of knew then, 'alright, this is what I want to do.' I feel like, as far as career-wise, I'm exactly where I want to be and where I need to be."