Kelly Burke of BridgeMill, a physics teacher at Woodstock High School, was selected to be on the short list on Monday by State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox.
"I am confident that any of these 10 outstanding educators would make a terrific 2011 Georgia Teacher of the Year," Mrs. Cox said. "Congratulations to the finalists and to all those who applied for consideration. I know it was very difficult to choose just 10 finalists from this strong group of applications."
The 10 finalists were chosen from a pool of 148 applicants who were selected as the Teacher of the Year in their school districts. The applications were read by a panel of judges that included teachers, past Georgia Teacher of the Year winners and finalists, administrators, community leaders and others. The finalists were chosen based on the strength of their essay responses.
A panel of judges will observe and interview each of the finalists at their schools. The finalists will also give a speech at a luncheon sponsored by Georgia Power on March 26.
The winner will be announced at the Georgia Teacher of the Year Banquet on May 14 at the Georgia Aquarium. The banquet, paid for through donations from sponsors, will honor each local district Teacher of the Year. A reception conducted by UnitedHealthcare, the Teacher of the Year program sponsor, will be conducted before the banquet.
The 2011 Georgia Teacher of the Year will spend next school year traveling around the state and the nation, serving as an ambassador for the teaching profession. The winner will also be entered in the National Teacher of the Year competition. All finalists will serve on Mrs. Cox's Teacher Advisory Council next school year.
Mrs. Burke was selected as the Cherokee County School District's Teacher of the Year in October.
Each Cherokee school's staff selects their own school Teacher of the Year. One winner is then selected by the district to represent the county.
County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo said Mrs. Burke, 46, has shown exceptional leadership at Woodstock High.
Mrs. Burke has taught at Woodstock High for 12 years, where she teaches Advanced Placement physics for 11th- and 12th-grade students and is the science department chairwoman.
She also serves on the School Improvement Committee and helps coordinate the regional science Olympiad competition. She was selected as Woodstock High's 2009 STAR Teacher and is the faculty sponsor for the National Honor Society.
Before joining the Cherokee district, she previously taught in the Chatham, Fulton and Richmond school systems. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in secondary science education from Georgia Southern University.
Mrs. Burke and her husband, Dave, have two children, Adam and Katie.
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