Coweta County Schools

Press Release – February10, 2012

Coweta County’s 31 Teachers of the Year announced

2012 Teachers of the Year for each of Coweta County’s 31 public schools have been chosen by their fellow teachers.

All 31 Teachers of the Year will be honored at the April 25 Coweta County Teacher of the Year Program, 7:00 p.m., at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts. The Coweta County Board of Education annually presents the program with the Newnan Pilot Club.

The 2012 Teachers of the Year from each school are:

From elementary schools:
Dr. Page Tarleton, Kindergarten (Arbor Springs); Becky Gore, 3rd Grade (Arnco-Sargent); Ginny McDonald, 5th Grade (Atkinson); Dr. Kelli Zachry, Special Education (Brooks); Cindy Glazier, 3rd grade (Canongate); Catherine Cathey, 4th Grade Mathematics (Eastside); Amber Sambdman, 3rd Grade (Elm Street); Linda Holloway, Special Education (Glanton); Colleen Gayle, Kindergarten (Jefferson Parkway); Jennifer Pitts, 1st Grade (Moreland); Jennifer Parker, 4th Grade  (Newnan Crossing); Lori Barnes, 5th Grade (Northside); Melissa Ladd, 4th Grade  (Poplar Road); Ashley Judy, 4th Grade  (Ruth Hill); Tracie Gossett, 2nd Grade (Thomas Crossroads); Ami Patel, 5th Grade (Welch); Melissa Bedenbaugh, Kindergarten (Western); Erin Neal, 2nd Grade (White Oak); Jennifer Whetstone, 5th Grade (Willis Road).

From middle schools:
Larry Manwaring, 8th Grade Social Studies (Arnall); Blaire Booth, Technology (East Coweta); Johnny Holloway, Chorus (Evans); Carrie DeBilzan, 8th Grade Language Arts/Literature (Lee); Kelly Benton, 7th Grade Language Arts  (Madras); Dr. Paige Galt, 6th-8th Grade Spanish Teacher (Smokey Road); Melissa Houghton, 6th-8th Grade Social Studies and History (Maggie Brown).

From high schools:
Natalie Hynson, Graphic Communications (CEC); Katie Lowrie, Science (East Coweta); Elizabeth Hilton, Science (Newnan); Larry Burns, Social Studies (Northgate); Jill Thompson, Social Studies (Winston Dowdell).

Coweta’s Teachers of the Year are chosen each year from among certified classroom teachers in Coweta County Schools, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, including special education, physical education, art, music, and media specialists.  They are selected by their peers for the quality of their teaching, professional development, teaching philosophies and methods, community involvement, contributions to education, and their ability to inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn.

Levi Young, an AP European History teacher from East Coweta High School, was chosen last April as the school system’s 2011 Coweta County Teacher of the Year.  He is currently a nominee for State Teacher of the Year.

The county’s 2012 Teacher of the Year – who will also serve as the Coweta County nominee for state Teacher of the Year – will be announced at the April 25 program.

The Coweta County School System is the only school system in Georgia with three county nominees chosen as Georgia Teacher of the Year, including Lorraine Johnson, Nancy Royal and Jamie Lipscomb. There have also been thirteen Coweta County semi-finalists for Georgia teacher of the year since 1986.

Coweta County’s 2012 Teachers of the Year have been named from 31 schools in Coweta, and will be honored at an April 25 program at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts. East Coweta High School AP European History teacher Levi Young, above, has served as Coweta County’s 2011 Teacher of the Year.