COVINGTON, Ga. — The Newton County School System and the Newton Chamber of Commerce announced the 2022-2023 school-level Teachers of the Year this week. 

The school-level Teachers of the Year will now participate in the system-level program with the winner serving as the Newton County School System’s 2023 Teacher of the Year representing NCSS in the Georgia Teacher of the Year program.

The 2022-2023 school-level Teachers of the Year include:

• East Newton Elementary: Blake Alexander

• Fairview Elementary: Lisa Allgood

• Flint Hill Elementary: Juli-ette Goldston

• Heard-Mixon Elementary: Angie Craver

• Live Oak Elementary: Simone Lawrence

• Livingston Elementary: Shameka Smith

• Mansfield Elementary: Becky Smallwood

• Middle Ridge Elementary: Stacy Jaime

• Newton County Theme School: Amanda Kirkham

• Oak Hill Elementary: Ana Escorza

• Porterdale Elementary: Taya Combs

• Rocky Plains Elementary: Jill Rodriguez

• South Salem Elementary: Brenda Shepherd

• West Newton Elementary: Tiffany Pinnock

• Clements Middle: Tomeka Daugherty

• Cousins Middle: Tawanna Griffin

• Indian Creek Middle: Adrian Stone

• Liberty Middle: Nicole Foster

• Veterans Memorial Middle: Tonique Robinson

• Alcovy High: Bobby Maddox

• Eastside High: Kayla Stoddard

• Newton High: Demetrice Perry-Stokes

• Newton College & Career Academy: Laura Lambert

Over the summer, each of the nominees completed a Teacher of the Year essay packet which required answering a number of questions concerning their educational backgrounds, philosophies and teaching styles. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, each teacher will participate in a 20-minute interview to be conducted by a panel of volunteer judges representing Newton County Schools, the Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses and civic organizations.

Once scores from the essays and interviews are tallied, three finalists will be determined by adding the three highest combined scores. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 27, the Teacher of the Year selection committee will observe each of the three finalists teaching in his or her classroom setting. 

The teacher with the highest combined score on the essay, interview and observation will be announced as the Newton County School System’s 2023 Teacher of the Year during a special ceremony at Newton High School on Oct. 6 at 4:45 p.m.

“The Newton County School System would like to congratulate the school-level Teachers of the Year, as they are each worthy of this special honor,” a news release stated. 

All 23 Teachers of the Year will be recognized at the reception at Newton High School and presented with a commemorative plaque from the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Each of the two runners-up will receive a crystal award from the Newton Chamber of Commerce. 

The 2023 Newton County Teacher of the Year will receive a crystal award and check for $1,000 from the Chamber of Commerce. 

Newton County School System will also provide a monetary award for each of the school system’s 23 Teachers of the Year. 

Newton County’s Teacher of the Year program would not be possible without the support of the community, the release stated. 

The school system and Chamber would like to extend special thanks to the “Chamber Champions” — sponsors of the 2023 Teacher of the Year program — including Truist Bank; Covington Ford; Edgar Law Firm; Ginn Motor Co.; Georgia Piedmont Technical College; Hargray; Main Street Land & Properties; Newton College & Career Academy; Nisshinbo Automotive; Qualified Staffing; Sunbelt Builders Inc.; The Center (Newton County Tomorrow); Bridgestone Golf; Covington Newspaper; High Priority Plumbing; Newton County IDA; Newton County Water & Sewer; Northside; SKC Inc.; BD; General Mills; Keenan Media; Meta; Newton County; Newton Federal Bank; Piedmont Newton; Snapping Shoals EMC; United Bank of Covington; Universal Planning & Development; Abbey Hospice; AT&T; Beaver Manufacturing; city of Covington; Dualdeko; MAU Workforce Solutions; Emory Oxford College; Pinnacle Bank; SteelCo; Synovus; Takeda; and Tread Technologies (Michelin).

For more information on the Teacher of the Year program, contact Sherri Partee, director of Public Relations for Newton County Schools, at partee.sherri@newton.k12.ga.us.