The 2024 Teacher of the Year in Muscogee County will be one of these 10 semifinalists
The 2024 Teacher of the Year in the Muscogee County School District will be one of these 10 semifinalists:
Christie Akers, Northside High School, English
Michelle Atcheson, Fort Middle School, English language arts
Katie Buckley, Blanchard Elementary School, music
Annette Gebhardt, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts, social studies
Nicole Hodge, Britt David Magnet Academy, first grade
Stacey McClary, Wynnton Arts Academy, English language arts
Lisa Mills, Columbus High School, English
Robyn Robinson, Davis Elementary School, fifth grade
Brent Sutherland, Dimon Magnet Academy, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)
Suzanne Tabor, North Columbus Elementary School, fourth grade.
The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, which conducts MCSD’s Teacher of the Year program, released the semifinalist names Friday after MEEF board and selection committee members made surprise announcements in the classrooms of the top 10 candidates.
They were selected from the applications of the 55 nominees, who were designated by their school’s staff. The candidates were announced last month during a ceremony in Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.
MEEF’s selection committee, comprising Columbus business and education leaders, will interview the semifinalists to choose three finalists. Committee members will observe the finalists teaching in their classrooms.
The winner will be announced during the foundation’s annual gala, May 9 in the Columbus Convention & Trade Center, starting with a reception at 6 p.m., then the dinner and program at 6:45 p.m. The $55 tickets will be on sale at the RiverCenter box office, starting March 11.
Muscogee County Teacher of the Year selection committee
The MCSD Teacher of the Year selection committee members are:
Josh Reynolds (chairman), TSYS/Global Payments
Vanessa Ellis, 2022 MCSD Teacher of the Year
Michael Graydon, Synovus
Sheryl Green, 2015 MCSD Teacher of the Year
Ken Henson, attorney and real estate developer
John Dale Hester, Columbus United
Marquette McKnight, MEEF executive director
Gina Smith, Keller Williams
Ty Webb, W.C. Bradley Company.
On behalf of the selection committee, McKnight said in the news release, “The process of reading all 55 applications gives those who lead our communities a profound perspective on the everyday endeavors of teachers.
“The committee is consistently filled with wonder and admiration for the tireless devotion and the steadfast determination teachers have to connect with and teach their students. We were deeply impressed with these teachers’ enthusiasm for their profession and their innovative solutions to help students achieve their full potential.”
MEEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence and honoring teachers who are innovative and exceptionally effective in the public schools of Columbus. In its 28-year history, the foundation has awarded approximately $3.1 million to such educators through the Teacher of the Year and Harvard Fellows programs, as well as grants.
The MCSD Teacher of the Year semifinalists are eligible to be selected as a Harvard Fellow. Since 2012, the foundation has paid the expenses to send a group of MCSD teachers to Harvard University during the summer for a week of teacher training.
“The Harvard Fellows opportunity significantly enhances professional growth,” McKnight said, “elevating teachers to become even more exceptional leaders for their students and other teachers in MCSD.”
