- January 26, 2025
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As a softball coach, Ashley Forrest has had a hand in training many utility players — those athletes who play multiple positions.
Matanzas High School Principal Kristin Bozeman calls Forrest the “ultimate utility player on our leadership team.”
Forrest, the Matanzas Teacher of the Year, is the school’s assessment coordinator. But her impact on the school extends far beyond that role.
“Ashley exemplifies the qualities of an exceptional educator — caring, dedicated and patient — while contributing to the academic and personal growth of students and the professional development of her colleagues,” Bozeman wrote in her recommendation letter to Flagler Schools’ Teacher of the Year Selection Committee. “Ashley’s efforts in mentoring new teachers, serving on professional committees and spearheading initiatives such as the Professional Learning Community process illustrate her deep dedication to education and her colleagues’ growth.”
Forrest, who is from Eclectic, Alabama, graduated from Murray State University in Kentucky in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She has been a teacher for 13 years across three states and seven school districts. During her first three years at Matanzas, she taught Precalculus, Algebra 2 and Algebra 1.
“She worked tirelessly to make challenging mathematical concepts accessible, inspiring confidence in students who previously struggled in the subject,” Bozeman wrote.
Forrest has been the school’s testing coordinator for the past two years. She also serves on the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Committee and the Capturing Kids’ Hearts Committee.
“I've always approached educating students with building relationships,” she said. “One of my highest evaluation marks is always student rapport. A few years ago when Flagler Schools introduced the Capturing Kids' Hearts initiative, it was the best (professional learning) that I've ever done. It solidified for me that relationships are what truly matter the most.”
She said she developed that belief back when she was in school.
In middle and high school, I was raised by my granddaddy, and my teachers at school became part of my family.
— ASHLEY FORREST, Matanzas Teacher of the Year
“In middle and high school, I was raised by my granddaddy, and my teachers at school became part of my family,” Forrest said. “The love, support and guidance that I received from my teachers became a huge influence in my life. The saying, ‘Be who you needed when you were younger,’ really defines me professionally.”
Her grandaddy reminded her of the importance of those relationships when she called him up years ago after having a difficult day in the classroom.
“I was feeling defeated, I was tired and I was questioning it all,” she said. “At the end of the phone call, my granddaddy finished with this, ‘Your students need you. You can't give up on them, and at the end of the day, they will not give up on you.’”
Forrest's school day doesn't usually end with the dismissal bell. Not only is she an assistant softball coach, her husband, Matt Forrest, is the Pirates’ head football coach. They support each other’s teams and they attend games for all of the sports.
“We truly are each other's biggest fans,” she said. “I enjoy all of our adventures together from traveling, various sporting events, fishing, golfing, taking our greyhound, Minerva, to Good Times, exploring different restaurants or going out on the boat or on Jeep rides; it's never boring with him.”
Forrest said she is honored and humbled to be selected as Matanzas' Teacher of the Year.
“There are so many dedicated and highly regarded teachers at MHS. Just even being on the same ticket with the others who were nominated (for Flagler Schools’ Teacher of the Year), it's hard to put into words how humbling it actually is. I am grateful to be recognized by my colleagues,” she said.
