LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Education on Wednesday named 14 teachers regional finalists for the 2011 Arkansas Teacher of the Year competition.
The competition uses a grant from the Walton Family Foundation to award $14,000 to the Teacher of the Year and $1,000 to each finalist.
Three runners-up and a winner will be named Nov. 12 at a gala in the Governor’s Mansion.
Regional finalists named Wednesday are:
Blair Ballard, fourth-grade, Walnut Ridge Elementary School in the Lawrence County School District.
Vickie Beene, 11th-grade English, Nashville High School in the Nashville School District.
Julie Boyd, second grade, Hurricane Creek Elementary School in the Bryant School District.
Jeannette Dempsey, environmental and spatial technology teacher and kindergarten Spanish, College Hill Elementary International Baccalaureate World School in the Texarkana School District.
Oretha Faye Ferguson, 10thgrade English, Southside High School in the Fort Smith School District.
Karen S. Hart, biology, Jonesboro High School in the Jonesboro School District.
Kristy Parish, kindergarten, Westside Elementary School in the Searcy School District.
Mary Katherine Parson, biology, Central High School in the Little Rock School District.
Kathy A. Powers, fifth and sixth grade, Raymond and Phyllis Simon Intermediate School in the Conway School District.
Therese Thompson, fifthgrade teacher, John Tyson Elementary School in the Springdale School District.
Rebecca Vaughn, kindergarten, Wedlock Elementary School in the West Memphis School District.
Maryann Walker, third grade, M.A. Hardin Elementary School in the White Hall School District.
Carolyn Whisenant, kindergarten, Mountain Home Kindergarten in the Mountain Home School District.
Emily Kathryn White, kindergarten, Monticello Elementary School in the Monticello School District.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 09/24/2010