During its Convocation event to kick off the 2026-2027 school year, the Bibb County School District named Southwest High School’s Dr. Amy Gitschlag its 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year. An English Language Arts teacher, Dr. Gitschlag has 25 years of teaching experience and has been at Southwest since 2015.  

“Few things are more meaningful to me than when former students or parents—sometimes a decade later—stop me in public to recall a lesson, project, or experience from my classroom,” Dr. Gitschlag said. “Those moments affirm my belief that meaningful teaching leaves a lasting imprint, and they continue to inspire my work every day.” 

The Bibb County Teacher of the Year is chosen from a pool of school-level winners, with five finalists being selected based on a written application. These five finalists, which also included Ingram-Pye Elementary School’s Brandis Baines, Vineville Academy’s Patricia Baser, Central High School’s Dr.Vincent Youngbauer and Rutland High School’s Gervon Pryce, then went through an interview process over the summer.