FIVE OUTSTANDING TEACHERS SELECTED AS FINALISTS IN NATIONAL AWARDS COMPETITION

The search for the Great American Teacher is well underway

ATLANTA (September 20, 2010) —The Ron Clark Academy, in conjunction with Great American Financial Resources, Inc., has narrowed its national search for phenomenal teachers for the Great American Teacher Awards.  

The five finalists:

Suzanne Michelle Evans—a sixth grade teacher from North Eden, Utah, whose classroom is a virtual economic community called econoME. 

Genein Letford—a fifth grade teacher from Canogo Park, California, who creatively integrates her music classes with social sciences and language arts connections to make learning come alive.

Tamica Stubbs—a high school science teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina, who inspires students and demands academic rigor with a research-based classroom that promotes biotechnical literacy.

Randy Wormald—a high school mathematics teacher from Salisbury, New Hampshire, who built an electric motorcycle with his students and created the "Graphmaster Boogie" to teach mathematical concepts.

Amy Dunaway-Haney—a high school Spanish teacher from Kettering, Ohio, who connects her students with bilingual community members and produces segments with her students on a local cable channel.

Using a pre-determined and standard rubric, a team of education leaders read and scored the applications, resulting in the selection of 15 semi-finalists, representing 14 different states across the U.S.  The applications of the semi-finalists were then culled to five finalists. 

“We received applications from many of the top educators in the country,” said Ron Clark, Disney’s 2000 American Teacher of the Year and founder of The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta.  “We are very impressed by these five master teachers who inspire and motivate their students to excel.  Selecting an overall winner will be a difficult task.”

The competition is far from over.  Prior to the big awards gala, which will be broadcast LIVE from Atlanta on Friday, November 19, 2010, film crews will videotape the teachers in action in their own classrooms.  The five finalists will also be interviewed by Ron Clark, Kim Bearden (co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy and former Disney Award and Milken Educator recipient) and a panel of esteemed judges.  From the group of finalists, one teacher will be named the 2010 Great American Teacher of the Year during the awards gala at the Cobb Energy Center on the evening of November 19th.

The five national finalists will receive the following: An all-expense paid round-trip to Atlanta for the finalist and a guest to attend the Ron Clark Academy’s National Educators’ Conference, November 19-21, 2010; special recognition at the Awards Gala on November 19th; classroom resources and supplies, a class set of Promethean ActivExpressions, a $1,000 honorarium; and media opportunities.

In addition to the prizes listed above, the Great American Teacher of the Year will receive a $10,000 cash award, a $5,000 cash gift to his/her school, a Promethean Active Board for his/her classroom, and a Complete Audio Enhancement System for his/her classroom. 

Sponsors of this event include Great American Financial Resources, Inc.; Verizon Wireless; Delta Air Lines, the preferred airline of the Ron Clark Academy; the Coca-Cola Company; Promethean; Audio Enhancement; and Comcast. If you would like to attend the awards and join us in Atlanta as we celebrate education, please visit www.greatamericanteacherawards.com and click "Gala Tickets" to buy tickets. A portion of ticket proceeds are tax deductible and will go towards scholarships for Ron Clark Academy students.

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About The Ron Clark Academy

The Ron Clark Academy is a private, nonprofit SACS CASI accredited middle school in Southeast Atlanta that promotes innovation and inspires its students through energetic teaching balanced by a strict code of discipline.  Each year, 3,000 educators from around the world visit the Academy to learn how to replicate the school’s style, philosophy and success in their own classrooms.  The Academy currently relies on outside funding to provide scholarships to students from varying academic backgrounds.

About Great American Financial Resources

The companies of Great American Financial Resources, Inc. (GAFRI) have provided retirement solutions for educators for more than 30 years. Through its subsidiaries, GAFRI is engaged in the sale of traditional fixed, indexed and variable annuities and a variety of supplemental insurance products. GAFRI is a subsidiary of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG’s common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol (“AFG”).  An American Company Serving America’s Educators, GAFRI is proud to recognize and support educators nationwide who make the future brighter for our children. For more information, visit www.GAFRI.com.