RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - One North Carolina public school teacher will receive the professional honor of a lifetime this week. The 2015 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year will be announced Tuesday in Cary.

The North Carolina Teacher of the Year will spend next school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession. He or she will receive the use of a state vehicle for one year, a one-year leased vehicle from Flow Automotive, LLC, the opportunity to attend a seminar at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), a mobile device from Lenovo valued at approximately $1,600, an engraved vase, a one-time cash award of $7,500, a trip to the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp, the opportunity to travel abroad through an endowment through the North Carolina Center for International Understanding, and a technology package valued at more than $11,000 from SMART Technologies.



The nine finalists for the award are:

•  Region 1: Jami Dickerson, Eastern Elementary (Pitt County Schools);

•  Region 2: Joshua Gaskill, Pamlico County High (Pamlico County Schools);

•  Region 3: Jeremy Tucker, James B. Hunt High (Wilson County Schools);

•  Region 4: Mariel Barker Sellars, East Columbus High (Columbus County Schools);

•  Region 5: JoAnna Massoth, Chatham Middle (Chatham County Schools);

•  Region 6: Jennifer Whitley, Forest Hills High (Union County Schools);

•  Region 7: Keana Triplett, Ashe County High (Ashe County Schools);

•  Region 8: Randy Pressley, Tuscola High (Haywood County Schools); and

•  Charter Schools: Elizabeth Padgett, Lake Norman Charter (Mecklenburg County).