‘A genuine heart for children.’ 2021 Teacher of the Year announced for Muscogee County
Lisa Seegar of Britt David Magnet Academy is the Muscogee County School District 2021 Teacher of the Year.
The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, which runs MCSD’s Teacher of the Year program, announced the winner Thursday night during an online ceremony.
The winner usually is announced at a gala with more than 1,000 folks in attendance at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. Last year’s event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s winner was selected from the three finalists out of the 56 teachers, one from each MCSD school, who were nominated for the award before COVID-19 delayed the selection process.
Thursday afternoon, foundation board members and MCSD officials honored the nominees with a drive-through celebration outside the Columbus Public Library, where they received their framed certificate, check, souvenir program and a charcuterie board to share as they watched the virtual ceremony Thursday night.
The foundation gave $100 to each nominee, $500 to each of the 10 semifinalists, $1,000 to the three finalists and $5,000 to the winner.
The two other finalists, announced in March 2020 after interviewing with the selection committee, were Columbus High School science teacher Karlyn McConnell and Northside High School economics and AP Human Geography teacher Chelsie Rogers.
The seven other semifinalists, announced in February 2020 after the committee read their applications, were:
- Sicily Coleman, Reese Road Leadership Academy, math and science, third grade
- Lisa Elliott, River Road Elementary School, kindergarten
- Rachel Fahnestock, Aaron Cohn Middle School, math, grades 7-8
- Michele Gore, Dorothy Height Elementary School, kindergarten
- Jamie Hagan, Double Churches Elementary School, third grade
- Lara Allan Lasseter, Clubview Elementary School, second grade
- Tammy McBee, Mathews Elementary School, math, fourth grade.
The ceremony was streamed on Facebook and other online platforms. But the winner still was surprised in person — foundation board members visited Seegar’s home as the winner was announced.
“We worked hard to have that very special moment of being named the MCSD TOTY to be live and to give Lisa the opportunity to feel the gratitude and appreciation of our entire community,” Marquette McKnight, the foundation’s executive director, said in a news release. “This is truly a moment when people come together and say a huge ‘thank you’ to all teachers for all they do.”
In April, four of the board’s selection committee members visited classrooms to observe the finalists teaching in-person and online students simultaneously while the rest of the committee watched via videoconference.
Committee member Donovan Granville described what impressed him about Seegar.
“She has a genuine heart for children,” he said in the news release. “… The amazing rapport Lisa shows with her students is infectious. Her classroom is a well-practiced routine of engaged learning for students by a great teacher.”
In her application, Seegar noted connecting with the children in her classroom as human beings — not only students — is key to teaching them.
“I have learned that as long as I make building relationships my highest priority,” she wrote, “students will amaze me with their willingness to follow where I lead. … I want them to remember Mrs. Seegar as a teacher who loves them unconditionally and provided them with valuable learning experiences that made them fall in love with learning.”
Buntin Award
In addition to the Teacher of the Year, the foundation announced Columbus Councilor Judy Thomas as the winner of the 2021 Jim Buntin Leadership Award for Excellence in Education, named after the former MCSD superintendent who helped establish the foundation in 1996.
She is a past chairwoman of the foundation and the Teacher of the Year selection committee, and continues to serve on the board as an emeritus member.
“Her commitment to always recognizing and rewarding MCSD teachers is legendary,” past foundation chairwoman Janet Davis said in the news release.
Thomas, a Columbus native and graduate of Jordan Vocational High School, taught in MCSD and worked with the Georgia Association of Educators and the California Teachers Association as an advocate for teachers and public education for more than 30 years.
After retiring, she returned to her hometown and served as chief of staff for Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington (2007-11). Since then, she has been one of the council’s two citywide representatives.
Thomas serves on the board for the College and Career Academy at Jordan and the Military Affiliated Student Support Fund at Columbus State University. She also is a member of the Monday Lunch Group, which founded the Buntin Scholars program, enabling teachers from MCSD schools in high-poverty neighborhoods to attend Harvard University for professional development during the summer.
She also has served on the board for Open Door Community House, National Infantry Museum, Chattahoochee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, Rotary Club of Columbus and St. Luke United Methodist Church.
The foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence by rewarding exceptionally innovative and effective MCSD teachers. In its 25-year history, the foundation has awarded more than $2.5 million to such outstanding teachers through the Teacher of the Year, Harvard Fellows, Buntin Scholars and other programs.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 7:20 PM.
