Wake County names Apex Friendship Middle School teacher as teacher of the year

An Apex Friendship Middle School teacher has been named Wake County’s 2026 teacher of the year. 

On Wednesday, Superintendent Robert Taylor announced Matin Maani as the winner.

Maani is in his fourth year at Apex Friendship Middle School, teaching seventh-grade social studies.

Officials said his teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that "every student deserves both access and opportunity to succeed, and that meaningful learning happens when students feel safe, seen, and empowered to grow."

“He cares so much about the students, he’s all about making them better and making every lesson engaging,” said Jeremy Thomas, a fellow Apex Friendship Middle seventh-grade social studies teacher.  “He wants to see that every day when his students walk out of his classroom, that they’re just a little bit better.” 

Maani said he also credits his students with haping his own growth as a teacher. During a lesson about the Holocaust, he said a student challenged his understanding of what meaningful engagement looks like in difficult conversations. 

“I have since learned that meaningful engagement with such topics requires the student’s emotional readiness to be attended to in addition to the mind,” Maani said. “There is an interconnectedness between the heart and intellect that cannot be ignored.”

Outside the classroom, he serves as co-chair of the school's Equity Committee, where he provides staff with the tools to uphold justice, love and compassion when navigating tough topics in the classroom.

“How blessed we are, all of those who are in education to stand beside our students and encourage them as they become champions of compassion, of justice and unity in our world,” Maani said.

As teacher of the year, Maani will be invited to the Go Global NC International study program in Argentina next summer and will receive several other prizes, including a 2026 Chevrolet from Capital Chevrolet.