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Gwinnett County Public Schools

The field of teachers vying to become the 2025 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year just got smaller as Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) announced the names of the 25 semifinalists to be considered for the system’s top honor. The group of eleven elementary, six middle, and eight high school teachers were selected from the initial list of 141 local school Teachers of the Year who were nominated by their colleagues at their local schools. On December 7, at 6:30 p.m., GCPS will host a celebration honoring this year’s finalists and naming the top teacher in Gwinnett County.

This year’s Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year semifinalists are:

  • Baggett Elementary School, Emily Rogers, Gifted Education Teacher (Grades 1-5)
  • Benefield Elementary School, Dina-Marie Tosto, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Social Emotional Learning Teacher (Grade 5)
  • Burnette Elementary School, Mandy Gunter, Music Teacher (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Central Gwinnett High School , Jenna Cloninger, Oceanography Teacher (Grades 10-12)
  • Chattahoochee Elementary School, Sheng Xiong, English to Speakers of Other Languages Teacher (Grades K-5)
  • Crews Middle School, Charlie Hollingshead, Language Arts Teacher (Grade 8)
  • Dacula High School, Courtney Guess, AP World History - Modern Teacher (Grade 10)
  • Five Forks Middle School, Michael Payen, Music Technology Teacher (Grades 6-8)
  • Fort Daniel Elementary School, Chandler Watson, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Teacher (Grade 4)
  • Grayson High School, Dr. Wendy Hardge Dyer, Information Technology & Game Design Teacher (Grades 10-12)
  • Gwin Oaks Elementary School, Jessie Hezlep, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science Teacher (Grade 5)
  • Gwinnett Online Campus, Jenny Cooper, Social Studies Teacher (Grade 6)
  • Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, J. Michael Rawlins, Differential Equations and AP Calculus AB Teacher (Grades 10-12)
  • Harbins Elementary School, Jenny Ethridge, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Teacher (Grade 4)
  • Jones Middle School, Megan Handy, Social Studies Teacher (Grade 8)
  • Lanier Middle School, Jessica Ashley, Life Science Teacher (Grade 7)
  • Lovin Elementary School, Heather Kane, Computer Science Specials Teacher (Grades Pre-K-5)
  • Mountain View High School, David Novelly, AP Environmental Science and AP Biology Teacher (Grades 10-12)
  • North Gwinnett High School, Lindsay Davis, AP Seminar and Internship Teacher (Grades 10 and 12)
  • Norton Elementary School, Luz Augustin, 5th Grade Teacher
  • Osborne Middle School, Treva Coates, STEM Connections Teacher (Grades 6-8)
  • Paul Duke STEM High School , Halie Rios, English to Speakers of Other Languages and Language Arts Teacher (Grades 9-12)
  • Shiloh High School, Trevon Lamar, AP African American Studies, AP U.S. History, and U.S. History Teacher (Grades 11-12)
  • Sugar Hill Elementary School, Michelle Ruhl, Computer Technology Teacher (Grades K-5)
  • Winn Holt Elementary School, Degoldyne Francois-Ulceus, Special Education Interrelated Resource Teacher (Grade 5)