By Karen Stroud, Douglas County School System Community Relations Director

Alexander High School science teacher Ryan Adams was recognized as the 2009-2010 Douglas County Teacher of the Year at the annual Teacher of the Year Recognition Program on October 15, 2009. He will represent the county in the Georgia Teacher of the Year recognition program.

During the local celebration at Douglasville First Baptist Church, a teacher from each of 30 schools in the county was recognized. Additional recognition as semi-finalists was given to six of the teachers. Three of them were named finalists.  

Tracy Moore, an ESOL teacher, was named the county's Elementary Teacher of the Year. Angela Haynes, a Special Education teacher at Chapel Hill Middle School, was named Middle School Teacher of the Year. Teachers named as semi-finalists were: Thomas Bruno of South Douglas Elementary School, Ashleigh Smith of Yeager Middle School, and Swati Shah of Chapel Hill High School.

"Each of the 30 teachers honored is an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled teacher who inspires students to learn," said Superintendent Don Remillard. "They have the respect and admiration of students, parents and colleagues. These teachers play an active and useful role in the community as well as in our schools."

Ryan Adams teaches Biology, AP Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology. Mr. Adams received his undergraduate and Master's degrees from the University of Florida and his Ed. Specialist degree from the University of West Georgia. He also represents the district as the High School Teacher of the Year.  

Mr. Adams began his teaching career at Alexander in 2004.  He states those who teach must have a passion for others and enjoy serving other people. He feels you not only have to love to teach, but you have to love those you teach. He believes that teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have. He enjoys learning and helping others learn. By helping students take classroom content and apply it to the real world, he feels they retain more information and grasp the significance of science in their lives. He states he does what it takes to help his students learn and succeed in his classroom.

The Douglas County Teacher of the Year selection process began with each school selecting a teacher to represent their school in the program. The selected teachers then completed a detailed application form and submitted it to the Community Relations Office. A committee of eight people spent many hours reading applications. Six teachers were selected from the group - two for each level. The next step in the selection process was a 30-minute classroom observation of each semi-finalist teaching in her classroom.

The committee reported that they enjoyed the visits and would have liked to have been able to spend more time in these outstanding teachers' classrooms. Admiration was expressed for all six of these outstanding educators. The committee interviewed all six semi-finalists before deciding on the level honorees (elementary, middle and high school) and the overall Douglas County Teacher of the Year.

Selection committee members included community members and educators. They are: Derren Burse, MembersFirst Credit Union; Jonathan Cook, 2008-2009 High School Teacher of the Year; Mike Kastensmidt, Wal-Mart, Thornton Road; Lisa Lonon, GreyStone Power Corporation; Shelia Nesbitt, 2008-2009 Elementary School Teacher of the Year; Greg Nix, Chick-fil-A, Thornton Road; Myron Terry, 2008-2009 Douglas County Teacher of the Year and Middle School Teacher of the Year; and Barbara Williams, Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority.

Honored as Teacher of the Year from their schools were: Alexander High, Ryan Adams; Annette Winn Elementary, Cenci Suber; Arbor Station Elementary, Joyce Fagelman; Beulah Elementary, Tracy Moore; Bill Arp Elementary, Jonathan Casey; Bright Star Elementary, Kelda Brewer; Burnett Elementary, Lisa Broadhead; Chapel Hill Elementary, Jennifer Petty; Chapel Hill High, Swati Shah; Chapel Hill Middle, Angela Haynes; Chestnut Log Middle, Nina Hollis;   Dorsett Shoals Elementary, Tabitha Brown; Douglas County High, Mark Henson; Eastside Elementary, Lauren Cook; Factory Shoals Elementary, Karen Daniel; Factory Shoals Middle, Gillian Phillips; Fairplay Middle, Rhonda Davis; Holly Springs Elementary, Leslie Rutledge; Lithia Springs Elementary, Amos Bishop; Lithia Springs High, Michael "Moe" Bruner; Mirror Lake Elementary, Jennifer Catlin; Mt. Carmel Elementary, Kelly Witt; New Manchester Elementary, Darnita Williams; North Douglas Elementary, Sharon Crenshaw; South Douglas Elementary, Thomas Bruno; Stewart Middle, Juanito Redwine; Sweetwater Elementary, Dina Doty; Turner Middle, Chris Willis; Winston Elementary, Alicia Williams; and Yeager Middle, Ashleigh Smith. 

The Douglas County Teacher of the Year Recognition Program is made possible by the support of the local business community. We encourage the community to patronize these businesses and thank them for their support of education in Douglas County. A list of those providing gifts, sponsorships or services follows:

Ameriprise Financial, Patti Puckett; Ann's Florist; Assured Comfort Heating and Air, Inc.; AT&T Wireless; Atlanta Braves; Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers; Atlanta West Hair Company; Atlanta West Jewelry; Belk; Benchmark Homes; Bliss Hair Salon and Day Spa; Borders; Cartridge World of Lithia Springs; Central EMS/Elite Ambulance Service; Chapel Hill News and Views; Charmaines, Inc.; Chick-fil-A, Arbor Place Mall; Chick-fil-A, Highway 5 and Fairburn Road; Chick-fil-A, Thornton Road; Cinco de Mayo Mexican Restaurant; City of Douglasville; Club Z! In-Home Tutoring; Coldstone Creamery; Danleya Cosmetics and Haircare; Davis Clay Salon; Dell Computers; Design Solutions Group, Inc., Chris Stanley; Dillard's; Douglas County Farm Bureau; Douglas County Sentinel; Douglasville ACE Hardware; Douglasville/Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority; Douglasville Therapeutic Massage; Edible Arrangements; Ellis Heating and Air; Entertainment Design Group;

Extreme Images; First Commerce Community Bank; First National Bank of Georgia; G&H Electric, Andy Hester; Gable's Sporting Goods; Gold's Gym; GreyStone Power Corporation; Helping Hands Professional Organizing, Emily Lyles; Hightower's Memorial Chapel; Impact Ink; Ironhorse BBQ; Janice Thompson State Farm Agency; Jared ~ The Galleria of Jewelry; Joe's Crab Shack; Johnny's New York Style Pizza; Jones-Wynn Funeral Home; Jostens; Kiwanis Club of Chapel Hills; Knowledge Points; Kroger, Highway 5; LA Fitness; Laser Dimensions; Let's Party with Sweet Sensations by Deb; Lifetouch National School Studio; LongHorn Steakhouse; Macy's; Martin's Restaurant; MembersFirst Credit Union; Merle Norman, Valerie Howell; Metro Bank;

Metropolitan Renovations; Motivational Fitness; Office Depot; Office Max; Old Navy; Outback Steakhouse; Perfect Nails; Planet Chiropractic, Dr. Awais Butt; Prepaid Legal Services, Inc., Alistair Edwards; Princess Party's; Public Education Trust, Inc.; Publix, Highway 5; Quaker Steak and Lube; S.T.O.P. Etc., Inc., Rusti Riggs; SAM's Club; Sam and Rosco's Restaurant; Sea Breeze Seafood Restaurant; Shaw Hankins Employee Benefits ~ Insurance Services; Sherrod & Bernard; Southern A&E, LLC; Southern Patio; State Farm Insurance, Janice Thompson; Starbucks Coffee Company, Chapel Hill Road; Stevi B's Pizza Buffet; T&T Professional Service, Toni Turpin; Target; Taste of Thai; Tastefully Simple, Katie Arfanakis; Texas Roadhouse;

The Dinner A'Fare; The GreenTree Day Spa; The HoneyBaked Ham; The Ross Group; The School Box; The Trophy Den; Total Package Hair Salon; Tributary at New Manchester; United Community Advisory Services; United Community Bank; ValuTeachers, Lewis Bailey; Villas at West Ridge; Vulcan Materials; Waffle House; WalMart, Thornton Road; Wenck Travel; West Georgia Family Dentistry, Dr. Eric Leithner; Williamson Brothers BBQ; U Design Jewelry, Pamela Fox; U Design Jewelry, Kimberly Messer; and U Design Jewelry, Kim Tidwell.