A White County elementary school special education teacher was recently named one of 10 finalists for the 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year award.
Holly Witcher teaches a self-contained special education class at Tesnaty Gap Elementary School.
Witcher and the other nine finalists will meet with a panel of judges for formal speeches and interviews before the statewide 2025 Teacher of the Year is selected in May.
Witcher wasn't the only North Georgia teacher to make the short list. Stephen McIntyre, audio video and film technology teacher at Chestatee High School, was also recently named to the list.
Witcher is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (2001) and a Master of Arts in Education in Integrated Curriculum from the American College of Education, according to the Georgia Department of Education. Research Focus in Special Education (2021).
“She is dedicated to being a lifelong educator and learner and continually strives to gain support so that she can best meet the needs of her students,” the Department of Education said in a social media post. “I'm doing it,” he said.
She has a following in the gifted field and also works as an English to Speakers of Other Languages ​​(ESOL) teacher. She has also been working on obtaining her teacher support specialist certification.
Witcher also taught online for 10 years at Georgia Cyber ​​Academy, serving as a lead teacher for four years and as an assistant administrator for elementary school special programs for four years. She was named Rockdale County Schools Teacher of the Year in 2006 and White County District Teacher of the Year in 2023.
“As a member of the school's leadership team and as the lead special education teacher, she has prioritized finding ways to support students, families, and educators in the district,” the department said.
Finalists were selected from applicants previously selected as the district's Teacher of the Year. Applications were read and scored by a group of judges that included past Georgia Teacher of the Year winners and finalists, as well as representatives from the Georgia Department of Education.