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Madras Middle School Teacher Nancy Williams has been named as a
finalist for 2012 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Williams – a 27-year educator who teaches 6th through 8th Grade Social Skills at Madras – is one of 10 finalists for the state honor. All ten will be honored – and Georgia’s 2012 Teacher of the Year will be announced from among them – at the May 6 Georgia Teacher of Year banquet, held at the Georgia World Congress Center. “There were county winners from 159 counties in Georgia, and I know each and every one of them must be very special teachers to have had won at their county level,” said Williams. “Being a state finalist is such an honor but at the same time, very humbling. I was in a pool surrounded by some of the best teachers in Georgia, and I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult of a task it was to have to narrow this group of dedicated teachers down to just ten finalists.” “I am grateful for this opportunity to represent the teachers of Coweta County,” said Williams. Williams is Coweta County’s 2010 Teacher of the Year. She has taught at Madras Middle School since 2008, after teaching for six years at Coweta’s Willis Road Elementary School. She was chosen by her fellow teacher at Willis Road to represent that school as Teacher of the Year in 2004, and was selected that year as the Coweta County’s Teacher of the Year as well. Williams holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from Nova University, and achieved National Board Certification as a Special Education teacher in 2004. Williams is the 14th Coweta County Teacher to be selected as a finalist for Georgia Teacher of the Year. Smokey Road math teacher Clay Hildebrand was selected as one of 10 finalists for the honor in 2009. Three Coweta County Teachers have gone on be selected as Georgia’s Teacher of the Year, including Lorraine Johnson, Nancy Royal and Jamie Lipscomb. According the standards of Georgia’s Teacher of the Year program, a candidate should be: • A certified classroom teacher in public prekindergarten through grade 12, including special education, physical education, art, music, and media specialists. • An exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled teacher who is planning to continue in active teaching status. • A teacher who inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn. • A teacher who has the respect and admiration of students, parents, and colleagues. • A teacher who plays an active and useful role in the community as well as in the school. • A teacher who is poised and articulate and possesses the energy to withstand a taxing schedule. Before the May 6 Georgia Teacher of the Year banquet, Williams will appear at Coweta County’s 2011 Teacher of the Year program on April 26, to honor Coweta’s 31 Teachers of the Year. The program is sponsored annually by the Coweta County Board of Education and the Newnan Pilot Club.  Madras Middle school teacher Nancy Williams has been named as a finalist for 2012 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Williams – who teaches 6th – 8th Grade Social Skills at Madras – serves as Coweta’s 2010 Teacher of the Year. Williams is pictured above, left, at last year’s Teacher of the Year Coweta ceremony at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, along with county finalists Angie Whitlock (Newnan High School) and Natalie Sibley (Willis Road Elementary School). |