By Gary Lloyd
A Clay Elementary School teacher has been named a top 10 finalist from the Jefferson County School District for the Alabama Teacher of the Year award.
Brenda Hancock, a fourth-grade teacher, was selected as one of the top 10 finalists from Jefferson County.
The JefCoEd Foundation will honor the 10 finalists in early March. At that time, an elementary and secondary winner will be named to compete in the next two levels of the competition for the state winner to be named in early May
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“This is a huge deal for these teachers, and the competition demands strong writing skills to convey the teacher’s philosophy and performance in the classroom,” said Jefferson County Schools Spokeswoman Nez Calhoun. “We are most excited about these extraordinary teachers.”
All finalists will be invited to attend a writing workshop led by three former Alabama Teachers of the Year later in mid January. In early March, the finalists and their principals will be honored at the annual JefCoEd Teacher of the Year banquet.
Prior to the top 10, other local nominees included Cynthia Monroe from Chalkville Elementary School, Leigh Anne Outlaw from Clay-Chalkville High School, Susan Gerhardt from Clay-Chalkville Middle School, Rodney Porterfield from Pinson Elementary School, Rachel Smith from Pinson Valley High School and Maggie Price from Rudd Middle School.