Athens teacher of the year finalists announced
- Classic City News
- Oct 8, 2025
- 2 min read
The Clarke County School District has released the following:
Athens, Georgia — The Clarke County School District today announced its three finalists for 2025-26
Teacher of the Year: Stephanie Lewis of Cedar Shoals High School, Timothy Pritchett of Barnett Shoals
Elementary School, and Adrienne White of Barrow Elementary School.
The finalists were chosen from a field of 22 school-level teachers of the year whose applications were
evaluated and scored by a district committee in partnership with the Foundation for Excellence in Public
Education in Clarke County (FFE). The winner, along with the district Support Professional of the Year,
will be announced on Oct. 23 at the district’s Teacher/Support Professional of the Year awards banquet
and will receive the FFE’s annual Mae M. Whatley Teacher of the Year and Janis J. Stephens Support
Professional of the Year awards. The winning teacher will then go on to compete at the state level.
“We look forward to celebrating these finalists, along with all of our building-level teachers and support
professionals of the year. The recognition banquet serves as a small thank you for all they do to make
CCSD stronger every day,” said CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott.
“The building-level teachers and support professionals of the year epitomize all that CCSD stands for - dedication, hard work, and a commitment to our children.”
Ms. Lewis is a 10th-grade special education collaborative science teacher and has been at Cedar Shoals and with CCSD since 2019. Prior to her time in Clarke County, she taught special education for 20 years in the Banks County School System. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Interrelated Special Education
from North Georgia College and State University, a master’s in Integrating Technology in the Classroom
from Walden University, and an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty
University.
Mr. Pritchett has been with CCSD since 2019, starting at Whit Davis Elementary before moving to
Barnett Shoals Elementary, where he currently serves as a third-grade homeroom teacher. Before his
time in Clarke County, he spent three years with the Griffin-Spalding County School System – first as a
substitute, then as a paraprofessional, and later as a classroom teacher. He earned a bachelor’s degree
in Mass Communication (Broadcast) from Benedict College and holds an M.A.T. in Early Childhood
Education and M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia.
Ms. White has been with CCSD and Barrow for five years as a kindergarten homeroom teacher. She
previously taught pre-K for five years in Forsyth County. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human
Development from Howard University and a master’s in Teaching Elementary Education from Mercer
University.
Robins Financial Credit Union is the presenting sponsor for this year’s CCSD Teacher of the Year
program, and Georgia United Credit Union is the presenting sponsor for the Support Professional of the Year program. The annual Teacher/Support Professional of the Year awards dinner will be hosted by Epting Events at its 1055 Barber venue.
