By Alexis Taylor
AFRO Managing Editor
Standing before roughly two dozen band students, Dr. Otis Eldridge was moved to tears after Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) CEO Dr. Sonya Santelesis walked into his room and named him 2026 Teacher of the Year on May 7.
The young musicians cheered as their band director, music teacher and arts integration specialist, received recognition for his work at Hamilton Elementary Middle School, located in Northeast Baltimore.
“The truth is the only reason I’m Teacher of the Year is because of ya’ll,” Eldridge told his students, flowers and plaque in hand. “I get up every morning…I wake up, and I think about how I can come and help ya’ll– and you all allow me to do it.”
Eldridge has long inspired his students to greatness. They have watched him earn his doctorate degree and become a leader in City Schools. When he says anything is possible for his students, he speaks from experience.
A proud product of Baltimore City Public Schools, Eldridge once sat exactly where his students are now.
“My life is a testament to what schools can provide for children,” Eldridge told the AFRO. “I started in band when I was in sixth grade, at Booker T. Washington Middle School. I went to high school at City College, and went to college at Morgan State University on a band scholarship. Today, I’m a band and music teacher.”
“There’s a clear trajectory that started from when I was 11 years old to now, today, as a grown man,” he said. “When I picked up that saxophone at 11, I didn’t know that it was gonna change my life, but it literally kept me in school, kept me off the streets and it always gave me something positive to do.”
Eldridge is a shining example of what a Black man from Charm City can do with self-determination, perseverance and a few good mentors along the way.
Santelesis said that Eldridge exemplifies what a Baltimore City Public Schools teacher should be.
“He is excellent in the classroom, but he’s also a leader among teachers,” she said.
A member of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Eldridge was named Outstanding Music Educator in 2023. In addition, he also serves as a member-at-large for the Maryland Music Educators Association and helps arts craft education policy for the state of Maryland. Eldridge earned all three of his degrees, including his doctorate, at the National Treasure known as Morgan State University.
Eldridge’s latest accolade is accompanied by a check, more resources for his students and other professional development opportunities made possible through the Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke Endowment Fund.
Santelesis told the AFRO that Eldridge’s impact is a testament to the importance of investing in the arts.
“I love the fact that Dr. Eldridge is a music teacher. It really does exemplify the real investment we have made in the arts in City Schools, and what happens when we put resources into making sure our young people have exposure to the arts…even in elementary and middle school,” she said. “Across our city, we have more and more young people who are engaging in instrumental music, and the wonderful part about it is you have a teacher–an exemplary teacher, like Dr. Eldridge– who really takes that investment and multiplies it 100 times in his students.”
Santelesis said that Eldridge’s “devotion to rigor” is part of what makes him stand out.
“It’s not just about the music, it’s about what music, the arts and excellent teaching
nurtures in young lives. It makes them whole human beings. We are not only test scores…We want young people to understand that the world is out there for them, and the arts
are a way to do that.”
Natasha Pouncey, principal of Hamilton Elementary Middle, has worked side by side with Eldridge for six years. The two joined the staff of the school at the same time.
“As a principal, your dream is to build a school where teachers can show up authentically as they are and share their gifts with their students, and Dr. Eldridge is literally the epitome of that,” Pouncey told the AFRO. “He shares his gifts, he helps cultivate a space where kids can be who they are, and to see someone like him acknowledged today, it’s everything.”
Pouncey continued, saying Eldridge is proof that “Black excellence is real.”
“When he started off here, he was ‘Mr. Eldridge,’” she said. “He was really clear with his students along his journey. Last year, when he became ‘Dr. Eldridge,’ he told them, ‘I am from here, I am from Baltimore. You guys have seen every step of the way for me, so if I can do it, you can do it.’”
“He doesn’t just talk it,” said Pouncey, “He walks it.”
