Joshua M. Smith of Central High School, was named Carroll County School System Teacher of the Year at the Board Meeting on Thursday, October 22, 2015. Mr. Smith has been with the Carroll County School System for 4 years. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2011 from Georgia College & State University majoring in History with a minor in Geography. He also received his Masters of Arts in Teaching in 2012. Mr. Smith stated that his greatest accomplishment in teaching is empowering students to take ownership for their own learning. His hope is that every student who walks through his door will leave with a passion to learn, grow and make positive choices. Mr. Smith’s Teacher of the Year application will now be sent to the State Department of Education where he will compete for the 2017 Georgia Teacher of the Year. The state winner will be selected Spring 2017.

Ms. Troyanne Parham of Villa Rica Elementary School was named first runner-up and Ms. Pamela Lane of Villa Rica Middle School was named second runner-up for System Teacher of the Year.

Superintendent Scott K. Cowart said, “We are proud of all our Teachers of the Year. These educators are excellent role models, not only for our students but for our staff as well. Their continual quest for excellence enables our students to learn in premier classrooms.”

We would like to recognize and express sincere appreciation to the judges and sponsors who supported the Teacher of the Year Recognition Program. Judges included Mrs. Susan Hale with Bank of North Georgia, Ms. Tara Moten with West Georgia technical College and Ms. Kristi Garrett with Ra-Lin & Associates, Inc. Sponsorships and support were given by Midway Church, Southwire Corporate, Rollins Automotives, Southern Sales & Marketing, Chick-fil-A, Bank of North Georgia, J & R Construction & Development, Inc., Southern A & E, LLC., Kroger, Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Control Concepts, and Catering by Peggy Robinson.