The Columbia County School District announced the top five Teacher of the Year finalists at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The school district will honor its educators at the annual Teacher of the Year Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Columbia County Exhibition Center in Grovetown at 6 p.m.
Teachers of the Year from each school will be recognized, along with the district’s top five finalists. The overall winner will go on to represent Columbia County Schools at the state level.
The 2025–2026 finalists are:
- Jona Gaskin – Westmont Elementary School
- Kirsten Matthis – Evans High School
- Lauren O’Neil – Cedar Ridge Elementary School
- Tiffany Tanner – Parkway Elementary School
- Nancy Morris – Columbia Middle School
In addition to being honored, the finalists and school winners will receive a variety of gifts.
The awards presentation and announcement of the district’s Teacher of the Year will be livestreamed beginning at 6:30 p.m. at http://bit.ly/ccsdlive.
