Carly Winstead, a 2nd grade teacher at Elm Street Elementary School in Newnan, was announced as the Coweta County 2008 Teacher of the Year Tuesday night, at the school system’s Werz Drive Central Office.

Winstead was among three finalists for County’s 2008 teacher of the Year (TOTY), along with Poplar Road Elementary School Kindergarten teacher Janey Allen and Newnan High School science teacher Amy Benton.

All of Coweta County’s 29 school Teachers of the Year were honored by the Coweta County Board of Education and the Newnan Pilot Club at the annual TOTY program at the Central Office.

Board members Frank Farmer and Sue Brown welcomed and honored the 2008 Teachers of the Year, along with Pilot Club President Harriett Steele, fellow Board of Education members and Superintendent Blake Bass. The Pilot Club presented Winstead, Allen and Benton with silver trays, and provided honored teachers with a reception afterward.

Coweta County’s 2007 Teacher of the Year and 2009 state Teacher of the Year finalist Clay Hildebrand spoke to the teachers and principals assembled for the annual program Tuesday night.

Hildebrand – a sixth grade math teacher at Smokey Road Middle School –– was one of ten finalists for 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year, and was honored by state Superintendent Kathy Cox at the Georgia Teacher of the Year banquet held Friday night, May 9, at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. He was Coweta County’s 13th state Teacher of the Year finalist.

Leanne Maule, an English teacher from Cartersville High School, was named the 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year at the Friday banquet. Maule, Hildebrand and other finalists had been chosen in February from among over 140 district-level teachers of the year who applied for the state honor.

Hildebrand was accompanied by his wife Christi Hildebrand and family members. Smokey Road Principal Laurie Barron, Coweta School Superintendent Blake Bass, Coweta County Board of Education Chairman Frank Farmer and several members of the school board and the Smokey Road Middle school staff also accompanied Hildebrand to the annual dinner, which honors all of Georgia’s top district teachers.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, Winstead will serve as Coweta County’s candidate for 2010 state Teacher of the Year.

All of Coweta’s 2008 Teachers of the Year were recognized at the Coweta County Teacher of the Year program, which the Board of Education and the Newnan Pilot Club present annually. The program was held at 7 p.m., at the school system’s Central Office auditorium, at 167 Werz Industrial Drive in Newnan.

The Coweta County School System is the only school system in Georgia with three state teachers of the year, including Lorraine Johnson, Nancy Royal and Jamie Lipscomb.

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