2016 Horry County Teacher of the Year semi-finalists revealed

Ten Horry County teachers are up for the prestigious title of 2016 Teacher of the Year.

Horry County Schools released the list of the top 10 semi-finalists Wednesday, which will be narrowed to five candidates in March. Semi-finalists will be interviewed by a panel and asked to provide examples of student achievement, according to a news release from the district.

The five finalists will then undergo a series of classroom observations, and the 2016 Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet in May. Last year, Forestbrook Middle teacher Joey Trail nabbed the countywide award.

This year’s 10 semi-finalists:

• Londa Cross, Academy for Technology and Academics
• Leanne Altman, Aynor Middle School
• Eric McKinney, Black Water Middle School
• Patrick Rabon, Carolina Forest High School
• Matthew Vanasse, Conway High School
• Steve Panamarczuk, Forestbrook Middle School
• Martha Hutchinson, Homewood Elementary School
• Shannon Peterson, Ocean Bay Elementary School
• Darcy Jones, Seaside Elementary School
• Gina Gordon, St. James Middle School

Teacher of the Year entrants submit written applications that include biographies, their philosophy of teaching, advocacy and evaluation of teaching techniques. Each school selects its Teacher of the Year, and 10 semifinalists are chosen for interviews before the list is narrowed to five finalists.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 2:52 PM with the headline "2016 Horry County Teacher of the Year semi-finalists revealed."