At the Teacher of the Year Gala held at the Savannah Westin Harbor Hotel, Mrs. Terry Finlay was named as the 2008 District Teacher of the Year.

Mrs. Finlay is a Spanish-language teacher at Savannah Arts Academy. She has been a dedicated public school educator for more than 20 years, teaching students in all grade levels. Mrs. Finlay began her teaching career in 1985 as a high-school Spanish-language teacher at Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Maine. She joined the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System in 1990 as a Spanish-language teacher at DeRenne Middle School.

Educating students and "learning about learning" has always been a passion for Mrs. Finlay. She received her undergraduate degree from West Liberty State College in Virginia and her Masters in Spanish from Georgia Southern University. She is currently working on her Specialist in Teaching and Learning, also at GSU.

As the district Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Finlay will serve as an educational ambassador for the school district and act as a representative for all SCCPSS teachers. In addition to the prestigious honor, Mrs. Finlay will also conduct staff development activities, serve on district wide committees and participate in various conferences. 

“Mrs. Finlay is a representative of the best there is in classroom education. We are honored to have her serve our children with us,” said Dr. Thomas Lockamy, Jr., SCCPSS Superintendent.

Mrs. Finlay wrote in her essay, "When I teach, I present new information via various formats, so that visual, aural, kinesthetic learners can receive, retain and apply new information. My goal is for all students to succeed and for me to show them how they can."

The Georgia Department of Education will select the State Teacher of the Year from all public school districts in Georgia.  The State Teacher of the Year award will be announced at the state banquet in March.