Wednesday, May 2, 2001
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Wednesday, May 2, 2001 |
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Lisa Fine named top county teacher By DAVE
HAMRICK
Lisa Fine of Rising Starr Middle School was named the county's Teacher of the Year in a ceremony last week. A surprised Fine was immediately embraced in hugs as Superintendent John DeCotis read her name at the annual Fayette County Teacher of the Year celebration held at Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville. After three finalists had been selected, the name of the winner was kept secret until the ceremony. Fine has taught within the Fayette County School System for eight years. She began her teaching career at Whitewater Middle School before joining Rising Starr where she teaches gifted math and social studies. "I worked in the business world before working in education. I was happy with what I was doing but I was not satisfied. Teaching gave me that personal satisfaction that had been lacking in my life," Fine told judges during her interview as a finalist. Judy Floyd from the Georgia Department of Education presented Fine with a special proclamation of congratulations and appreciation from State Superintendent of Schools Linda C. Schrenko. During her acceptance speech, Fine credited her children, Rob, Kristina and Sean, as being the greatest contributors to her success as a teacher. "The range of my children's abilities gifted, average and learning disabled has inspired me to recognize the hidden talent in every individual. I treasure each student as if he were my own, my extended family," Fine told those who attended the ceremony. Ellen Mitchell of Fayette Middle and Mary Elizabeth Mendenhall of Kedron Elementary were the other two finalists who were selected to vie for the coveted award. They, along with Teacher of the Year winners from each school, were also honored at the ceremony, which carried the appropriate theme of Saluting Fayette's Finest. Through the generosity of donations from local businesses and organizations, the honored teachers received gift bags filled with prizes and gift certificates redeemable for various products and services. Each teacher received a plaque with his or her name engraved on it compliments of the Coca-Cola Company. Dell Computer Corporation gave a laptop computer to Fine and personal computers to Mendenhall and Mitchell. Wal-Mart presented Fine with a $500 check to be used to buy supplies for her classroom. Chick-fil-A in Fayetteville provided every teacher with a $10 gift certificate and an autographed copy of Truett Cathy's book, The S. Truett Cathy Story, donated by the corporate office. To commemorate her winning the county award, Fine will also receive a special ring from Balfour. Other donations from Georgia School Equipment, the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and Wachovia Bank helped to make the celebration a memorable one for all of Fayette's finest teachers. As Teacher of the Year for Fayette County, Fine will automatically be nominated for the 2001-2002 Georgia Teacher of the Year competition. If she wins, she will go on to compete at the national level. In order to be selected as the Teacher of the Year for the county, participants must successfully pass through a three-step process. Every year teachers at all 24 schools select their own Teacher of the Year by a vote. Each winner then submits an application packet to be selected as a finalist for the county competition. A panel of four judges rates each application. Those teachers receiving the top three highest ratings become the final contenders for the award. This year's judging panel was made up of last year's Teacher of the Year winner, Linda Brem of Fayette County High School, Nancy Larson, a retired teacher from Huddleston Elementary, Rob Geis, a retired principal from Clayton County, and Ashley Taylor of SunTrust Bank. Each finalist was observed by the judges and then interviewed and rated before the winner was chosen.
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