Education
Education

Finalists named for Georgia Teacher of the Year

By Ty Tagami
April 27, 2016

Most of the finalists for 2017 Georgia Teacher of the Year are from smaller school districts outside metro Atlanta.

The Georgia Department of Education announced the 10 finalists Tuesday. Three are from districts within the greater metro area, though none are from Atlanta or the big surrounding districts.

The state has been selecting a top teacher for 45 years. The winner travels around the state and the country as a spokesman for Georgia schools and also becomes the state’s candidate for national teacher of the year.

This year’s finalists were picked from 155 applicants who were chosen teacher of the year in their school districts. The winner will be announced in mid-May after selection by a panel of teachers and school officials, past winners and finalists and others. The finalists are:

  • Martha Villanueva Milam, AP Chemistry, Chemistry, Coweta County, East Coweta High,
  • Casey M. Bethel, AP Physics, AP Biology, Honors Physics, Biology, Physical Science, Douglas County, New Manchester High
  • Heather Cocke, English Language Arts, Effingham County, Ebenezer Middle
  • Marlo Miranda, Automotive Technologies, Forsyth County, Forsyth Central High
  • Heather McConnell, Special Education, Gainesville City, Gainesville Middle
  • Jennifer Taylor, Science, Harris County, Harris County Carver Middle
  • Sara Jones Wilder, Fourth Grade, Lowndes County, James L. Dewar Elementary
  • Dr. Debra Russell, AP Biology, Magnet Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Rockdale County, Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology
  • Michelle Courtwright Ashmore, AP U.S. Government, Comparative Religion and Economics, Troup County, Troup County Comprehensive High
  • Joseph Cody Moncrief, Mathematics, Valdosta City, Valdosta Middle

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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