Rick Scott Presents Commendations to Five District Teachers of the Year During Cabinet Meeting

During Thursday's meeting of the Florida Cabinet, Gov. Rick Scott expressed his appreciation for Floridas teachers and applauded their commitment to improving Floridas education system by presenting special commendations to several North Florida 2013 Teachers of the Year.

The commendation was created to honor Floridas valued educators and their effort to foster greater student achievement. The five winners invited to attend Thursday's meeting come from Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties.

Every day you help Floridas students realize their potential, fulfill their dreams, and embark on challenging journeys toward college and successful careers, Scott was quoted in a release by his office. Floridas strong, effective teachers give students an advantage in todays competitive environment, and that is why I am proud to award this special commendation to teachers who go above and beyond to make a difference in education.

Scott's recognition takes place a few weeks after he announced his Florida Families First budget proposal to increase Florida teacher salaries and education funding.

According to the release, the participating 2013 Teachers of the Year are:

"Laura King, Franklin County King teaches social studies and language arts at Franklin County K-12 School. With more than 16 years of classroom instruction under her belt, Kings classroom management is an example to her peers and her use of technology in the classroom captures students' attention right away.

"Zola Akins, Gadsden County In addition to being the reading coach at George W. Munroe Elementary School, Akins also teaches language arts, reading, and writing. She has been teaching in Gadsden schools for 11 years. This is her second year as Gadsdens Teacher of the Year.

"Rebecca Kirchharr, Leon County Kirchharr is a reading and English teacher at Leon High School. She also serves as a gifted coordinator, reading coach, and coach of the junior varsity tennis team.

"Samantha Newsome, Liberty County Newsome is a 6th grade math teacher at W.R. Tolar K-8 School. Before beginning her teaching career, she helped Florida children as a child-abuse investigator.

"Jodie Martin, Wakulla County A 5th grade teacher at Medart Elementary School, Martin is committed to 'teaching students, not teaching subjects.' She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, the Medart Reading Leadership Team, the science curriculum team, and math curriculum team."