Five finalists chosen for 2016-17 Horry Teacher of the Year
Five area teachers are in the running for Horry County Schools 2016-17 Teacher of the Year.
The finalists were chosen from 10 semi-finalists released in January. Semi-finalists were interviewed by a panel and asked to provide examples of student achievement, and all five finalists will undergo a series of classroom observations, according to the district.
The winner will be announced at a banquet May 3. Last year, Forestbrook Middle teacher Joey Trail nabbed the countywide award.
This year’s finalists are:
- Londa Cross – Academy for Technology and Academics
- Eric McKinney – Black Water Middle
- Steven Panamarczuk – Forestbrook Middle
- Martha Hutchinson – Homewood Elementary
- Shannon Peterson – Ocean Bay Elementary
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.
On Monday, Joey Trail was named one of five finalists for S.C. Teacher of the Year. He was surprised by S.C. Superintendent Molly Spearman during a ceremony at Foresbrook Middle School and will receive a $10,000 cash award as a result.
This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Five finalists chosen for 2016-17 Horry Teacher of the Year."