A Johns Creek middle school music teacher made it to the final round of a contest to win the fourth annual Grammy Foundation's 2017 Music Educator Award, but she did not take home the ultimate prize.
Nicole Thompson of Taylor Road Middle School was one of 10 finalists vying to win $10,000 with a matching grant for her school.
The nine finalists received a $1,000 honorarium and the schools will receive matching grants.
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The award, which is presented by The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation, was won by Keith Hancock of California.
In November, Thompson was announced as one of 25 contenders across 16 states. Jason Smith, a band instructor at Newton High School, was also a semifinalist.
In a video submitted to the Grammy Foundation, students and administrators talk about the impact Thompson has had on their lives.
Bernadette Scruggs, former president of the Georgia Music Educators Association, worked with Thompson on that association's board. She recounts how Thompson's "intrinsic feeling of responsibility" led her to adopt a former student whose mom and brother were "tragically killed the summer after he left her program."
"Almost two years later this young man is a part of her family, and lives with her, and her commitment to him and his education and quality of life is nothing less than remarkable," Scruggs said.
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