Teachers from Conway, Little Rock, Mountain Home, and Springdale have been named regional finalists for the 2020 Arkansas Teacher of the Year honor.
The four are:
Melissa Spence, first-grade teacher at Theodore Jones Elementary School in the Conway School District.
Jeffrey Whitlow, fifth grade teacher at Don R. Roberts Elementary in the Little Rock School District.
Catherine Beckham, 10th-through 12th grade teacher of Orientation to Teaching I and II and leader of the Senior Internship program at Mountain Home High School Career Academies in the Mountain Home School District.
Joel Lookadoo, ninth-grade algebra I teacher at Lakeside Junior High in the Springdale School District.
The finalists were announced Thursday at the Governor's Mansion at a ceremony to honor all 15 regional finalists in this 2020 competition.
In the coming weeks, a selection committee from the state's recently named Division of Elementary and Secondary Education will visit the schools where the four teachers work to observe and interview them as well as talk with their school administrators.
A winner will be announced later this year.
In addition to receiving cash awards, that person will spend the 2020-21 school year on paid leave from their regular classroom jobs to compete for the National Teacher of the Year honor, serve as an ex officio member of the Arkansas Board of Education and travel the state to participate in teacher and student programs.
Stacey McAdoo of Little Rock Central High is the 2019 Teacher of the Year.