Schools

Berkmar Middle School Teacher Named Finalist for Teacher of the Year

Lissette McRea is a 6th grade Language Arts teacher at the school in Lilburn, Ga.

Gwinnett County Public Schools named their finalists for Teacher of the Year on Wednesday. One of them teaches at a Lilburn school.

Berkmar Middle School Language Arts teacher Lissette McRea is one of the six GCPS teachers to make it to the final round.

McRea has 13 years of experience as a teacher, nine of them with GCPS. She came to Berkmar Middle in 2011. Before that, McRea taught at Lilburn Middle for seven years.

She is the child of an immigrant family and faced many challenges as a child, including not being able to speak English. McRea's third grade teacher inspired her to pursue a career in education.

“I am living proof that education breaks the cycle of poverty and I feel an obligation to help others overcome obstacles," said McRea in a release from GCPS. "My career in education has been in Title I schools and has revolved around working with students that mirror my own childhood experience.”

The other five finalists are:

  • Heather Watkins, Mulberry Elementary
  • Stacey Dunlap, Simpson Elementary
  • Carol Williams, Summerour Middle
  • Ashley Allgood, Brookwood High
  • Hyunjin Son, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

The process began will all 130 GCPS schools naming their own Teachers of the Year. That list was then narrowed down to 26 semifinalist. 

The next step in selecting the Teacher of the Year will be classroom observation and interviews with the six finalists. 

GCPS' Teacher of the Year will be named at a banquet on Thursday, November 7 at the Gwinnett Center.

Does your child have McRea as a teacher or had her in the past? Share your notes of congratulations in the comment section below.


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