This Columbus teacher is a finalist for the Georgia Teacher of the Year award
A Columbus teacher is one step away from becoming the Georgia Teacher of the Year.
Lisa Seegar, a fifth-grade science teacher at Britt David Magnet Academy, is among the 10 finalists for the state award, Georgia Department of Education superintendent Richard Woods announced Monday.
The finalists were chosen from a pool of applicants who were selected as their school district’s Teacher of the Year. Seegar is the Muscogee County School District’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.
“Teachers across Muscogee County and our great state have the opportunity to transform communities and build nations through the work that they do,” Seegar told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “It has never been more apparent than over the past two years as heroic teachers stepped back into classrooms, creating innovative ways to provide learning opportunities for their students while navigating the hardships of educating during a global pandemic.
“Our nation depends on its teachers to prepare her future even in the face of extreme hardships. I am honored to be a part of this amazing profession especially at this time in our history and grateful to have the opportunity to represent the Muscogee County School District as a finalist for the Georgia Teacher of the Year.”
A panel of judges that included teachers, past Georgia Teacher of the Year winners, state and local administrators and community leaders evaluated the applications for the state award.
“The 10 finalists for Georgia’s next Teacher of the Year represent the very best of our state’s public education system,” Woods said in a news release. “They are hardworking, innovative, skilled, and — most importantly — focused first and foremost on students. I am immensely proud of each of them and honored to recognize them as finalists.”
The finalists will meet with a panel of judges this month for interviews and speeches. The winner will be announced April 30.
The Georgia Teacher of the Year serves as an ambassador for the teaching profession in the state and qualifies for the National Teacher of the Year competition. The Georgia Teacher of the Year program operates one year ahead to align with the national program, so the 2023 Teacher of the Year will serve from July 1 to June 30, 2023.
The 2022 Georgia Teacher of the Year is Cherie Bonder Goldman of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools.
The other finalists are:
- Ashley Anglin, first-grade teacher, Elm Street Elementary School, Rome City Schools
- Katlyn “Katie” Blum, second-grade teacher, Sugar Hill Elementary Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools
- Julie Caraballo, seventh-grade language arts teacher, J.R. Trippe Middle School, Vidalia City Schools
- Laura Floryance, first-grade teacher, Sawyer Road Elementary School, Marietta City Schools
- Susan Howard, K-5 STEM teacher, Lanier School for Inquiry, Investigation and Innovation, Hall County Schools
- Vicki Knox, fifth-grade mathematics teacher, Deer Chase Elementary School, Richmond County School System
- Michael Kobito, AP Music Theory teacher and high school band director, Woodland High School, Bartow County School System
- Chelsea Leming, fifth-grade teacher, Indian Knoll Elementary School, Cherokee County School District
- Jesse Smith, career, technical and agricultural education teacher, Rockdale Career Academy, Rockdale County Public Schools.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
