Three finalists for Coweta County’s 2023 Teacher of the Year have been chosen.
Mary Amoson, a Kindergarten teacher at Brooks Elementary School, Julie Eidson, a 6th Grade Science teacher at East Coweta Middle School, and Mollie Wilson, a Third Grade teacher at Canongate Elementary School, have been announced as finalists for Coweta Schools’ annual Teacher of the Year recognition.
Teachers of the Year are chosen by their fellow faculty members each year at each of Coweta County’s 33 public schools and school programs, in recognition of their exemplary teaching and professionalism. Three finalists are chosen from among them by the previous year’s Teachers of the Year, based on applications similar to that used by the Georgia Teacher of the Year program. The county teacher of the year is chosen from among those finalists by an independent panel of judges, and serves as the school system’s state TOTY nominee.
This year’s honorees represent grade levels from Kindergarten through 12th grade, and a range of educational disciplines including English/Language Arts, math, music, sciences and STEM education, special education and media specialists.
They will be honored at the Coweta County Teacher of the Year Program on 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 will be announced at that program.
This year’s Teacher of the Year honorees include:
Alexis Cofer, 1st Grade (Arbor Springs Elementary)
Emily Holloway, 5th Grade (Arnco-Sargent Elementary)
Lesley Walden, Special Education (Atkinson Elementary)
Mary Amoson, Kindergarten (Brooks Elementary)
Mollie Wilson, 3rd Grade (Canongate Elementary)
JoAnna Rawson, 4th Grade (Eastside Elementary)
Cindy Ulinski, EIP (Elm Street Elementary)
Christie Thompson, 7th and 8th Social Studies (Empower Program)
Shelby Trowell, 1st Grade (Glanton Elementary)
Latanya Reeves, 3rd Grade English/Language Arts (Jefferson Parkway Elementary)
Ashley Akers, EIP (Moreland Elementary)
Rebekah Wren, 3rd Grade (Newnan Crossing Elementary)
Tami Merry, 2nd Grade (Northside Elementary)
Brooke Little, 2nd Grade (Poplar Road Elementary)
Concetta Amey, Kindergarten (Ruth Hill Elementary)
Christy Jennings, Music (Thomas Crossroads Elementary)
Whitney Strickland, 2nd Grade (Welch Elementary)
Ciara Johnson, Media Specialist (Western Elementary)
Melissa Bedenbaugh, Kindergarten (White Oak Elementary)
Jennifer Powell, 1st Grade (Willis Road Elementary)
Kerry Parsons, 6th Grade English/Language (Arnall Middle)
Oscar Prado, Band (Blake Bass Middle)
Julie Eidson, 6th Grade Science (East Coweta Middle)
Stephanie Skinner, STEM (Evans Middle)
Joshua Bishop, Spanish Connections (Lee Middle)
Melissa Houghton, Social Studies (Maggie Brown Middle)
Anissa Andrews, 8th Grade Special Education (Madras Middle)
Jessica Royal, 7th 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)
Mackenzie Nail, Special Education (Northgate High)
Ginger Armstrong, Math (Winston Dowdell Academy)
TOTYs are exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled classroom teachers who are selected by their peers in each Coweta County School System school. Finalists for Coweta teacher of the year are chosen by fellow professionals based on the quality of their teaching, teaching philosophy and methods, professional development, community involvement, contributions to education, and their ability to inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn.
Welch Elementary School 3rd Grade teacher Macie Fleming was announced as the 2022 Coweta County School System Teacher of the Year at last year’s ceremony. Fleming was among three finalists including Brandavious Mann of Newnan High School and Adrienne Kocin of Evans Middle School.
