Teacher of the Year finalists announced in Muscogee County School District

The three finalists for the Muscogee County School District’s 2016 Teacher of the Year were announced Monday.

Board members from the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, which runs the district’s Teacher of the Year program, made surprise visits to the classrooms to congratulate the following finalists:

▪  Carmen Estes, Fox Elementary School, kindergarten.

▪  Stefan Lawrence, Carver High School, honors English and American Literature.

▪  Andrea Toole, Blanchard Elementary School, fifth-grade language arts and social studies.

The caravan of MEEF board members included superintendent David Lewis, who presented each finalist a cake to share with their students.

In interviews with the Ledger-Enquirer, the finalists had the following reactions:

At Blanchard, Toole said, “I’m honored. I’m humbled. It’s amazing. I want them to see that kids can learn, that kids are great and this is a good time in education, not a negative time.”

At Fox, Estes said, “I’m speechless. I’m a little overwhelmed. … I’m excited to be able to tell other teachers and to be able to share about our profession with others and with our community, because it’s an important profession and people need to know.”

At Carver, Lawrence said, “It’s shock and just pride. I don’t think any teacher gets into teaching to get accolades outside of their students’ success, and to get recognized is such an honor. I’ve got great kids, and it’s a good thing for Carver High School. They see so much negativity when they look in the media, so it’s good to see them have a positive thing to look back on. It’s a direct reflection of them. I’ve got awesome kids and an awesome faculty support system here.”

Each of the district’s 56 schools nominated a teacher to contend for the award. MEEF’s selection committee read the applications, interviewed 10 semifinalists and will watch three finalists teach in their classroom before announcing the winner during the foundation’s May 5 gala.

The other semifinalists were:

▪  John Cobis, Northside High School, AP English Literature and British Literature.

▪  Eric Crouch, Double Churches Elementary School, first grade.

▪  Akear Mewborn, Kendrick High School, English and American Literature.

▪  Lisa Mills, Columbus High School, pre-AP literature and composition, and AP Language and Composition.

▪  Melissa Niemi, Arnold Magnet Academy, eighth-grade physical science.

▪  Afton Pownall, Britt David Magnet Academy, music.

▪  Linda Sawyer, Midland Academy, special education.

Columbus Councilor Judy Thomas chairs the selection committee. The other members are: Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce; Kim Lester, the district’s 2013 Teacher of the Year when she taught at Britt David, now teaching at the St. Elmo Center for the Gifted; Marquette McKnight, CEO of Media, Marketing and More; Allen McMullen, president of McMullen Funeral Homes; Brandy Sipling of Midland Academy, the district’s 2014 Teacher of the Year; and Brenda Williams, vice president for corporate banking at Columbus Bank and Trust.

Thomas, a former teacher at the now-closed Bibb Elementary School, told the Ledger-Enquirer the committee had a tough time selecting the top three out of the 10 semifinalists, “who are all excellent teachers,” and she expects deciding the winner after Wednesday’s observations will be even tougher.

In their interviews, Thomas said, the finalists showed “passion and commitment. They each have a broad range of skills that I think is necessary in today’s classroom, and they just seem to be very outstanding teachers that we’re lucky to have in Muscogee County.”

MEEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence by helping and honoring innovative and effective teachers. In its 20-year history, the foundation has awarded educators more than $2 million through the Teacher of the Year and other programs or grants.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Teacher of the Year finalists announced in Muscogee County School District."