Two South Tampa teachers are among 10 finalists for the county's Teacher of the Year prize.
By STEFANIE GREEN
Published February 13, 2004
Beth Lamb and Julia Cobb Barnes, two South Tampa area school teachers, are among 10 finalists for the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year award.
The Hillsborough County Education Foundation will name the winner Thursday at the downtown Hyatt Regency Tampa.
"I'm very excited, and I am looking forward to finding out," said Lamb, a music teacher at Gorrie Elementary School. "I have been able to meet a lot of new people, and I think every one of the teachers are good and deserve it."
Lamb has been at Gorrie for eight years and serves as chairwoman for the county's Music in the Schools Month, an annual celebration in March that focuses on how music connects to children in their subjects, communities and futures.
Barnes has been a teacher at Young Middle Magnet School for 14 years. She teaches sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade critical thinking, and reading and writing skills for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. She does peer counseling and is in charge of the district's Connect-A-Kid program, a mentoring and dropout prevention program.
Lamb and Barnes were chosen by their individual schools and then selected by a group of administrators to be among the 10 finalists. The winner will receive cash from the foundation, a limousine ride to their school, tickets to sporting events and other prizes. They also will compete for state Teacher of the Year.
