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April 17, 2018 – State
School Superintendent Richard Woods today announced the 10 finalists for
2019 Georgia Teacher of the Year.
The
finalists were chosen from a pool of 150 applicants; all had been previously
selected as their school district’s Teacher of the Year. The applications were
read by a panel of judges that included teachers, past Georgia Teacher of the
Year winners and finalists, administrators, community leaders and others. The
finalists were chosen based on the strength of their essay responses.
“It will
certainly be a difficult decision for our panel of judges to choose who
should be the 2019 Teacher of the Year," Superintendent Woods said.
"It is evident upon meeting each finalist that they treat education
as more than just a profession -- it is their calling. It is my
honor to meet each of them as they all are obviously dedicated, quality
educators."
Finalists
met with a panel of judges for a formal interview and gave speeches during
a finalist luncheon April 16. The winner will be announced May 19, 2018.
The 2019
Georgia Teacher of the Year will travel around the state and the nation,
serving as an ambassador for the teaching profession in Georgia. He or she will
also be entered in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
The 2018 Georgia Teacher of the Year is Mr. John R. Tibbetts, an economics
teacher at Worth County High School in Worth County Schools.
Click here to learn more about the Georgia Teacher of the
Year program.
2019 Georgia Teacher of
the Year Finalists*
Shaylen Dixon, third grade,
Peachtree City Elementary School, Fayette County Schools
Dr.
Doug Doblar, fourth and fifth grade mathematics and
science, R.D. Head Elementary School, Gwinnett County Schools
Allison
Kerley, third grade, Barnwell Elementary School, Fulton County Schools
Dr. Stefan
Lawrence, English, George Washington Carver High School, Muscogee County
Schools
Nancy
Rogers, English, Thomas County Middle School, Thomas County Schools
Maleah
Stewart, speech-language pathologist, North Forsyth Middle School, Forsyth
County Schools
Ike
Thompson, English/gifted, Veterans High School, Houston County Schools
Melanie
Thompson, science, Georgia Academy for the Blind, State Schools
Stephanie
Vidrine, mathematics, Woodstock Middle School, Cherokee County Schools
Kayla
Yeargin, mathematics, Troup High School, Troup County Schools
*Finalists
are listed in alphabetical order by last name