Gwinnett County Teacher Included In GA 2022 'Teacher Of The Year'

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A second grade teacher in Gwinnett County has been named a finalist for the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

Katlyn Blume of Sugar Hill Elementary Schools is in the top 10, according to a news release. In 2021 she was named a Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year. The top ten finalists will meet with a panel of judges this month for formal interviews and speeches. The winner will be announced on April 30.

The finalists were chosen from a pool of applicants all previously selected as their school district’s Teacher of the Year, according the release. The applications were read by a panel of judges that included teachers, past Georgia Teacher of the Year winners, state and local administrators, community leaders, and others. The finalists were chosen based on the strength of their essay responses, according to the release.

“The ten finalists for Georgia’s next Teacher of the Year represent the very best of our state’s public education system,” said Superintendent Richard Woods in a statement. “They are hardworking, innovative, skilled, and – most importantly – focused first and foremost on students. I am immensely proud of each of them and honored to recognize them as finalists.”

The 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year will serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession in Georgia and will be entered in the National Teacher of the Year competition. Georgia Teacher of the Year operates one year ahead to align with the national program; the 2023 Teacher of the Year will serve from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.