Sarasota County’s 2020 Teacher of the Year to be Named

The overall Sarasota County 2020 Teacher of the Year will be announced from among three finalists at the annual awards ceremony honoring educators.

This year’s Ignite Education event will be a brunch held from 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Dec. 11, at The Westin Sarasota. 

The Education Foundation of Sarasota County produces the event in partnership with Sarasota County Schools. Three finalists—one each representing elementary, middle and high schools—were surprised at their schools Nov. 14, 2019.

Finalists for Sarasota County’s 2020 Teacher of the Year are: Heather Young, K-5 art teacher, Venice Elementary School; Marissa Dobbert, middle school math teacher, Sarasota Military Academy Prep; Josh Grant, career and technical arts teacher, Venice High School.

 In addition to the finalists, each individual school’s Teacher of the Year will be recognized at the event. Other honors include the Ignite Innovation Award, which recognizes a teacher who successfully employs “outside the box” teaching methods, and the Alumni of Distinction Award, honoring a distinguished alumnus or alumna from a Sarasota County Schools high school.