Mary Amoson of Brooks Elementary School, Julie Eidson of East Coweta Middle School and Mollie Wilson of Canongate Elementary School are the three finalists for 2023 Coweta County Teacher of the Year.
The Coweta County School System announced their selection last week. Amoson is a kindergarten teacher, Eidson is a sixth grade science teacher, and Wilson is a third grade teacher.
Coweta’s Teachers of the Year are selected by their fellow certified teachers at each school in recognition of exemplary teaching, and they serve as ambassadors of their profession. This year’s honorees represent grade levels from kindergarten through 12th grade and a range of educational disciplines, including English/ language arts, math, music, science and STEM education, and special education, as well as media specialists.
They will be honored at the Coweta County Teacher of the Year Program on Thursday, June 1 at the Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts. The Coweta County Board of Education presents the program annually with the Newnan Pilot Club.
The 2023 Coweta County Teacher of the Year – who is also chosen by current and former Coweta educators – will be announced at that program.
This year’s honorees include:
Alexis Cofer, first grade (Arbor Springs Elementary)
Emily Holloway, fifth grade (Arnco-Sargent Elementary)
Lesley Walden, special education (Atkinson Elementary)
JoAnna Rawson, fourth grade (Eastside Elementary)
Cindy Ulinski, EIP (Elm Street Elementary)
Christie Thompson, seventh and eighth grade social studies (Empower Program)
Shelby Trowell, first grade (Glanton Elementary)
Latanya Reeves, third grade English/language arts (Jefferson Parkway Elementary)
Ashley Akers, EIP (Moreland Elementary)
Rebekah Wren, third grade (Newnan Crossing Elementary)
Tami Merry, second grade (Northside Elementary)
Brooke Little, second grade (Poplar Road Elementary)
Concetta Amey, kindergarten (Ruth Hill Elementary)
Christy Jennings, music (Thomas Crossroads Elementary)
Whitney Strickland, second grade (Welch Elementary)
Ciara Johnson, media specialist (Western Elementary)
Melissa Bedenbaugh, kindergarten (White Oak Elementary)
Jennifer Powell, first grade (Willis Road Elementary)
Kerry Parsons, sixth grade English/language (Arnall Middle)
Oscar Prado, band (Blake Bass Middle)
Stephanie Skinner, STEM (Evans Middle)
Joshua Bishop, Spanish Connections (Lee Middle)
Melissa Houghton, social studies (Maggie Brown Middle)
Anissa Andrews, eighth grade special education (Madras Middle)
Jessica Royal, seventh grade math (Smokey Road Middle)
Natalie Hynson, graphic arts (Central Educational Center)
Heather Dailey, special education (East Coweta High)
Tabatha Cyprian, special education (Newnan High)
Caitlin Nail, special education (Northgate High)
Ginger Armstrong, math (Winston Dowdell Academy)
Teachers of the Year are considered exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled classroom teachers who are selected by their peers in each Coweta County School System school.
Finalists for Coweta County Teacher of the Year – who serve as the system’s nominee for Georgia Teacher of the Year – are chosen by previous teachers of the year and independent judges based on the quality of their teaching, professional development, teaching philosophy and methods, community involvement, contributions to education and ability to inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn.
Welch Elementary School third grade teacher Macie Fleming was 2022 Coweta County Teacher of the Year and is this year’s state nominee. She was chosen from among three finalists, which also included Brandavious Mann of Newnan High School and Adrienne Kocin of Evans Middle School.
