Two Brooklyn public school teachers just won $25,000 each for the way they teach, and their schools are getting a grant on top of it.
Rayhan Ahmed of Gotham Professional Arts Academy and Shaude Tyson of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s P.S. 262 El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Elementary School were named grand prize winners of the 2026 FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, as first reported by Brooklyn Paper. The win helped Brooklyn take home more winners than any other borough in the city.
The FLAG Award hands out six grand prizes a year, one to a teacher from each of the five boroughs and one to a 3K-through-fifth-grade educator from anywhere in the city. Each grand prize winner gets a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize, and their school gets a $10,000 grant earmarked for an arts-based project the winner designs. The award goes to public school teachers whose work shows creativity, leadership and commitment to students both in and out of the classroom.
Ahmed teaches chemistry and environmental biochemistry at Gotham Professional Arts Academy, and he has built his reputation on tying science to problems that actually hit communities. His students do hands-on, project-based work on things like environmental contamination and energy systems, often framed around environmental justice. One of his most notable student-led projects took students to Flint, Michigan, where they studied the long-term fallout of the city’s water crisis and delivered water directly to residents.
He also helped set up the school’s four-year “Crew” advisory system, which supports students academically and socially through high school and helps steer them toward college, and he coordinates college visits, scholarship mentoring, internships and career programming.
Ahmed plans to put his award money toward a student-designed environmental justice arts project centered on the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline, mixing scientific research, oral history, performance and public art.
“Our brains are wired to care about people and stories, not just formulas and facts,” Ahmed said in a statement. “Science is most powerful when students use it to understand and improve the world around them. While investigating environmental issues and conducting research, I want students to see themselves as scientists and advocates who can create meaningful change.”
Tyson, a special education teacher, took the top honor in the 3K-through-fifth-grade division. She is known for pairing rigorous academics with immersive lessons, including an Election Day simulation that turns her classroom into a mock polling station so students can see how democracy and voting work up close.
She also stacks leadership roles at P.S. 262. She is the school’s United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader, its Student Council Coordinator, its School Leadership Team Chairperson and its garden coordinator, and she mentors new educators. Through the UFT’s AI Ambassadors cohort, she helps other teachers figure out how to bring AI tools into their classrooms.
Tyson wants to use her grant to turn the school’s garden into an Outdoor Learning Hub, a community space for environmental education, student performances, creative projects and neighborhood events.
“My guiding belief is ‘Students always, in all ways,'” Tyson said in a statement. “While teaching in the classroom and mentoring other teachers, my goal is always to create experiences that help children realize their potential and understand that they can make a difference.”
Glenn Fuhrman, co-founder of the FLAG Award, said the prize requires “creativity, compassion and a deep commitment to students.” He added that this year’s honorees are “helping young people grapple with some of the most pressing issues shaping New York City and the world around them, from climate and environmental justice to investigative journalism and the legal system.”
Ahmed and Tyson were not the only Brooklyn educators recognized this cycle. Brooklyn finalist honors went to Lily Lamb-Atkinson of P.S. 373 Brooklyn Transition Center. Semi-finalists included Xue Qing Liang of New Utrecht High School, Jason Luft of I.S. 239 Mark Twain, Julia Munar of P.S. 8 Emily Warren Roebling School, Adam Marcus of P.S. 32 Samuel Mills Sprole and Michael Peterson of P.S. 297 Stockton Community School.
Featured image: Photo courtesy of The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence
