JOHN REITMAN

editor@amnews.com

As a special education teacher in Boyle County for nearly 20 years, Tina Henry finds her inspiration in the progress made by her students.

“I’ve learned over the years to be thankful for small steps,” Henry said. “There are a lot of small steps in achieving a big goal.”

Henry, who has spent the past 18 years teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities at Boyle County High School, has been named by the Kentucky Department of Education and Valvoline as one of 24 finalists for 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

Henry was notified by the KDE in February that she had been nominated for the award and was instructed to fill out an online application. She learned last week that she is one of the two dozen finalists.

“I don’t know who nominated me,” Henry said. “I was just honored to be nominated. I was shocked; shocked and surprised.”

A total of 1,987 teachers from all 171 school districts statewide were nominated. The 24 finalists were selected from a field of 312 instructors who advanced to the second stage of the selection process.

“Teachers give of themselves every day to help students gain the skills needed to pursue their dreams,” Kentucky Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass said in a prepared statement. “On behalf of the Kentucky Department of Education, I congratulate these dedicated, award-winning teachers. I thank all teachers for inspiring, motivating and supporting Kentucky’s students.”

All 24 finalists will be honored Sept. 20 during a ceremony in Frankfort. The winners from each group – Elementary, Middle and High School – will also be announced at that time. Winners will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

“I want to thank all my students for putting up with me all these years,” Henry said. “I also want to thank all my fellow teachers who help make it all work.”