Spalding High School Teacher Shelley Worley was named the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) 2023-23 District-Wide Teacher of the Year. Worley will go on to represent the district as she competes for the 2024 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Worley was surprised by the announcement at the 2022 Education Celebration on July 27 in front of all 1400+ GSCS employees.
Worley also was surprised with the big news that this year, for the first time, the District Teacher of the Year received a new car to drive for the school year. Thanks to a partnership with Cronic Automotive Group, Worley will be driving a new 2022 Nissan Rogue to get to school every day. The two Teacher of the Year finalists were also surprised with $500 gift cards courtesy of Food Depot.
Worley has been a secondary educator for 15 years. After teaching middle school English Language Arts and social studies for 10 years, she joined Spalding High School in 2017 as Early Childhood Education (ECE) instructor. Worley teaches grades 9-12 in three courses within the ECE pathway and is a certified CPR and fire safety instructor. In addition, she serves on the PBIS team, Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) department chair and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) advisor. She received her associate’s degree from Gordon College and her bachelor’s degree in Middle Education from Clayton State University. Worley was the 2012-13 Teacher of the Year for Kennedy Road Middle School and was named a STAR Teacher in 2020.
GSCS Superintendent Dr. Keith Simmons stated, “We are all excited for Mrs. Shelley Worley to represent GSCS as the District Teacher of the Year. I want to acknowledge and celebrate Sarah Borchardt of Futral Road Elementary and Brittany Jackson of Beaverbrook Elementary for being finalists for this recognition. I also want to thank the selection committee for their time and efforts in conducting interviews and observations during this process. We look forward to Mrs. Worley serving as the ambassador of those who are providing instruction for our students. We will be able to congratulate, celebrate and recognize her for the next 12 months.”
“I still remember the moments in my life that led me to a career in education. It was amazing teachers that made me feel special. Teachers like Mrs. Bozeman, Mrs. Stinson and Mrs. Mann made me feel important and valued. My message is simple, make students feel special. My students need me to be a source of encouragement. They need somewhere they can go to find a smile when they need it. They need to hear all the good that they are and can be. I want to celebrate with them in their accomplishments and help them realize what they can offer their school, family, community and world. The single most important thing to me is that each of my students leaves my classroom a better person than they were when they entered it. My hope is that I have planted seeds along the way that are now growing and blooming,” stated Worley.
Candidates from all 19 schools completed applications and were scored by outside evaluators to determine the three finalists. Interviews and classroom observations with the finalists were conducted by a panel of judges and a rubric was followed to determine the Teacher of the Year.
Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Teacher of the Year Program annually recognizes outstanding public-school teachers at both local and state levels. This is a prestigious award program focused on excellence in teaching.