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ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA– Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) announced the top three finalists for the district Teacher of the Year during the 2024 RCPS Convocation.
The district finalists for RCPS Teacher of the Year are Lindsay Ezell of Memorial Middle School; Dr. Chuck Garner of Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology; and Tonya Grant of Barksdale Elementary School.
Each finalist was named in a surprise announcement before the audience of employees from all schools gathered at the 2024 RCPS Convocation.
“All of our school-level Teachers of the Year are exceptional educators who stand out for their ability to connect with students and have a profound impact on student achievement, learning, and growth,” said Rockdale Superintendent Terry Oatts. “We wish our three finalists the best as they compete for the RCPS Teacher of the Year title.”
“It was an amazing experience to surprise our three finalists in front of the entire RCPS family,” said RCPS Board Chairwoman Pam Brown. “While this was a special occasion to recognize a few, I am proud of all our teachers and staff for their commitment to our children and families as we begin this new school year.”
Each school-level Teacher of the Year is chosen by their peers as an educator who exemplifies the highest levels of their profession and goes above and beyond for their students, colleagues, and community. The three district finalists are chosen out of the school-level Teachers of the Year. The RCPS Teacher of the Year Celebration will be held Sept. 26, 2024, where all school-level Teachers of the Year will be honored and the district winner will be named.
Lindsay Ezell, Memorial Middle School
Lindsay Ezell has been teaching for eight years and is currently teaching 6th grade math. She also coaches middle school cheer and track and field and high school girls flag football. In her spare time, she enjoys horseback riding on trails, playing adult flag football, and spending time with her fur baby Chloe. She serves with the Carenow Community Development Center food pantry and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She recently completed her master’s degree in Middle Grades Education and has been previously recognized as Rookie of the Year and Technology Teacher of the Year. She is a proud product of RCPS, having attended Lorraine Elementary, Edwards Middle and Davis Middle, and Heritage High. She finds it remarkable how her journey has come full circle to bring her back to Rockdale County. “It’s truly fulfilling to give back to the place that played such a significant role in shaping who I am today,” she said.
Dr. Chuck Garner, Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology
Dr. Chuck Garner is starting his 31st year teaching and has been teaching math at Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology since 2001. He and his wife have been married for 32 years and have two adult children. He serves as the Treasurer for the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Secretary-Treasurer for the Georgia Association of AP Math Teachers, is the High School Math Representative for the Congress of the Mathematics Association of America. In his spare time, he reads non-fiction books and reads and collects comic books; he has a collection of more than 25,000 comic books. He is the author of multiple math textbooks used around the country. When asked for something unique about himself, he said “not many teachers have former students as colleagues and as their principal.” He said one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is “the realization that long after students forget the math I taught them, they will remember how I made them feel.”
Tonya Grant, Barksdale Elementary School
Tonya Grant has been teaching for 26 years, including in the classroom from Pre-K to 5th grade, and has been the media specialist for Barksdale Elementary for the last 11 years. She and her husband of 30 years have two sons, ages 23 and 27. She has volunteered at the Nancy Guinn Memorial Library Mayor’s Book Club, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Southern Breeze Chapter, and with Hands On Atlanta for the past 15 years doing numerous projects, including packing books with Books for Africa, spreading mulch at Arabia Mountain State Park, and helping at the Festival of Trees in Atlanta. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, traveling, watching movies, knitting, and working out. She said her most rewarding experience in teaching happened while she was teaching 3rd grade. “My class of 19 students were on or below grade level or in ESOL. My class was only one out of four in which all the students passed the CRCT. The students worked hard all year long. I was so proud of them.”
Pictured left to right: Rockdale County Board of Education member Justin Kenney, Board of Education member-elect Larry Cox, Board of Education member Akita Parmer, Superintendent Terry Oatts, District Teacher of the Year Finalist Tonya Grant of Barksdale Elementary, District Teacher of the Year Finalist Lindsay Ezell of Memorial Middle, District Teacher of the Year Finalist Dr. Chuck Garner of Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Board of Education Chairwoman Pam Brown, Board of Education members Sandra Jackson-Lett and Janie Jones.