The five finalists for SCCPSS 2023 District Teacher of the Year were named at a reception held at the new Beach High Auditorium on Tuesday, October 26, 2021. The announcement was made after all 55 school level Teachers of the Year were recognized by the Superintendent and Board Members in attendance. WJCL News Anchor Shannon Royster was the event emcee.
The five finalists are: Elizabeth Whalen of Charles Ellis Montessori Academy, Lauren Fuquea of Beach High School, Melody Senia of Southwest Middle School, Dr. Gina Smith of Groves High School, and Barbara Rupnik of Marshpoint Elementary. The finalists were determined by scores from Community Readers of each teacher's essay application based on the State Teacher of the Year application.
The five finalists will now move on in competition to name the District Teacher of the Year for the 2022-23 School Year. That process includes classroom observations and panel interviews over the next month. The District Teacher of the Year will be announced at the annual Gala scheduled to take place on February 11, 2022 at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront.
