As the "prize patrol" swept through their schools on Oct. 22, the three unsuspecting Teacher of the Year finalists were going about their normal routines. RCPS Superintendent Dr. Sam King and his squad dropped by each school to deliver personally the good news. Out of 1,200 teachers in the system, 22 were selected as Teacher of the Year for their individual school, and out of those 22, three finalists emerged: JH House Elementary’s Stacy Roper, Hightower Trail Elementary’s Holly Foster and Salem High School’s Lisa Boyd.

Most of JH House’s student body and staff were in on the surprise for PE teacher Stacy Roper. There was an honors assembly already in progress when Dr. King arrived to congratulate her. For Roper, the most rewarding part of teaching is "being able to help a student move from ‘I can’t do it’ to ‘Look, I can do it’ and seeing the joy in their eyes when they realize the impossible is really possible."

Not only was Hightower Trail teacher Holly Foster surprised, but so was her classroom full of first graders. After her assistant explained to the students what all the hoopla was about, Foster told them, "You are why we work so hard."

For Salem’s Lisa Boyd, an AP English composition and literature teacher and swim coach, the greatest reward are the E-mails she receives from former students about the A's they earn on their first college essays. "In the words of one student, they are ‘demolishing college English.’ I am exceedingly proud of the impact I have made on their lives," she said. Boyd is also a national exam reader and faculty consultant for College Board.

After classroom visits and interviews by a three judge panel, the ultimate 2010 Teacher of the Year will be named in December.