Gov. Mike Beebe on Tuesday announced the four state finalists for Arkansas Teacher of the Year, the state Department of Education said in a statement.
Narrowed down from 15 regional finalists, Beebe recognized in a ceremony at the Capitol:
• Donna Dillahunty, a fifth-grade English/language arts teacher at Marion Intermediate School in the Marion School District.
• Lindsay Griffin, a sixth-grade literacy teacher at Greenbrier Middle School in the Greenbrier School District.
• Jayna Moffit, a seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in the Bentonville School District.
• Ouida Newton, a seventh- through 12th-grade math teacher at Poyen High School in the Poyen School District.
Those four each received a $1,000 award sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation and a medallion.
Over the next few weeks, the selection committee will visit the schools where each teacher works, and the 2015 Teacher of the Year will be recognized at a surprise notification event and receive an additional $14,000, the Education Department said.
Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.