On Tuesday, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz announced ten finalists for the 2017 Indiana Teacher of the Year.
The winner will be announced officially in October, according to an Indiana Department of Education press release.
“Everywhere I go, I see great teaching and learning happening in Hoosier classrooms,” Glenda Ritz, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction said in the press release.
The Indiana Department of Education has conducted the Indiana Teacher of the Year for the past fifty years, according to the release.
The program aims to recognize outstanding classroom teachers from across the state.
All school corporations are invited to participate in this program. They do this by nominating one teacher to represent local educators at the Indiana state level of the program.
The Indiana Teacher of the Year Selection Committee is comprised of former Indiana Teachers of the Year. The committee selects the new Teacher of the Year through an application process each year, according to the release.
The ten nominated finalists this year include nine high school teachers and one middle school teacher.
The teachers nominated teach subjects that range from mathematics to language arts, according to the release.
The list of nominated teachers include: Michelle Burress, Bobbi Jo Carter, John Gensic, Dennis Goins, Jarod Hammel, Chris Hill, Mikayla Koharchik, Jessica Deckard Mann, Jitka Nelson and Jennifer Jo Steed.
The 2017 Teacher of the Year represents Indiana teachers at the national level and follows the National Teacher of the Year guidelines.
“Great teachers can have a lifelong impact on a child’s life,” Ritz said in the release. “I am honored to recognize ten of these outstanding educators today who have demonstrated their commitment to high-quality instruction and service to Hoosier students.”
For more information, visit doe.in.gov/toy.
Katelyn Haas
