Teacher of the Year Finalists Named This Week

Several Hillsborough County teachers got surprise visits at their schools this week, signifying their selection as finalists for the 2013 Teacher of the Year award.

According to Roselle Cronan, marketing manager for the Hillsborough Education Foundation, "surprise patrols" paid visits to schools on Jan. 18 to announce this year's Teacher of the Year finalists.

Two Carrollwood area teachers are finalists this year. They are:

• Cindy Nuñez – Kindergarten Assistant at Claywell Elementary.
• Sharon S. Smith – EET Mentor; 1st Grade (Inclusion) at Claywell Elementary.

To see a full list of finalists go here: 2013 Teacher of the Year: A List of Finalist Contenders

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What To Know About Hillsborough's Teacher Of The Year Program

• The annual Teacher of the Year Award program starts with nominees at each of Hillsborough’s public schools, which leads to the selection of one top teacher at each school.

• In turn, those teachers become the nominees for the district’s list of finalists.

• “All schools in the district are invited to nominate one teacher at their site whom they feel is the most well-rounded and professional,” according to a notice posted on the Hillsborough Education Foundation website. “Finalists are selected by a district committee and individually interviewed. One winner is then selected for the prestigious honor of being named Hillsborough County’s Teacher of the Year.”

• The district’s top teacher goes on to compete for Florida State Teacher of the Year.

• The state’s top teacher then enters the national Teacher of the Year contest.

• Yolanda Whitehead Driskell, a teacher at Hillsborough High School, was named the 2012 Teacher of the Year.

• Cynthia Folsom Crim, a teacher at Palm River Elementary, was named the 2011 Teacher of the Year.

• Emily Marrero, a teacher at Philip Shore Elementary School, earned the honor in 2010.

• Cleveland Elementary School teacher Megan Allen in 2009 won not only Hillsborough’s Teacher of the Year award, but also advanced as a finalist in the National Teacher of the Year contest by earning the state’s top-teacher title.