The Houston County School District honored 39 Teachers of the Year and six Employees of the Year during the district’s Opening Session on July 27, 2021. At this event, the districtwide Teacher of the Year and four finalists were announced for the first time.

Jessica Miranda of Veterans High School is the 2021-2022 Houston County Teacher of the Year. Miranda has taught special education at Veterans High School for eight years. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Columbia, Mo. and a master’s degree in special education from The University of Phoenix. She and husband, Will, have two children. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her family, crafting, cooking, reading and genealogy.

Mrs. Miranda said, “I am so blessed to work with this group of educators, and when I found out the theme this year is ‘My Home, My Houston,’ I really thought about what home means to me. Growing up an army brat, when somebody asked me where I was from, I always said ‘nowhere’ or ‘a little bit of everywhere.’ It wasn’t until we moved to Warner Robins and I started working in Houston County that I realized that Houston County is my home.”

As the Houston County Teacher of the Year, Miranda received gifts valued at approximately $15,000, including cash awards from the HEA Federal Credit Union, Houston Association of Educators, Robins Regional Chamber, Sonny’s BBQ, and Synovus Bank. She was also awarded a one-year lease of a new Honda from Hughes Honda.

The district also announced four finalists for districtwide Teacher of the Year. Congratulations to:

• Bryan Carrier, Warner Robins High School

• Stephanie Sanders, Lake Joy Elementary School

• Monica Troullier, Westside Elementary School

• Debbie Garza, Pearl Stephens Elementary School

Six Employees of the Year were also honored during the ceremony. Congratulations to:

• Bus Driver – Kalessa Smith

• Bus Monitor – Jessica Fisher

• Custodian – Johnny Dobson, Houston County High

• Distribution Center – Harold Hambrick

• Maintenance Employee – Skylar Holle

• School Nutrition Manager – James Bryant, Warner Robins High

The Houston County School District is grateful for the companies that provided sponsorship for Opening Session and other events that will be held during this school year. The 2021-2022 event sponsors are:

• Premier level: Flint Energies, HEA Federal Credit Union, Houston Healthcare, Parrish Construction, Southside Baptist Church, Totem Benefit Solutions, and Yancey Bus Sales & Service

• Gold: Central Georgia Technical College, Cox Communications, and Synovus Bank

• Silver: AF Realty Group and Georgia Military College.

• Bronze: Advanced Eyecare Center and Herff Jones

Honorees received gifts from the community valued at several hundred dollars each, as well as congratulatory letters from Governor Brian Kemp and Houston County’s state legislators.  A list of the companies who donated gifts for our Teachers and Employees of the Year can be found online at www.hcbe.net/ossponsors.

Businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities for future events honoring teachers and staff can contact the Community Relations office at (478) 988-6390.