Congratulations to Valerie Boehm, of Pickens High School, for being named the 2026-27 Teacher of the Year for Pickens County School District. She will go on to compete for the 2028 Georgia State Teacher of the Year.
PCSD's Teacher of the Year Program
Valerie Boehm, PCSD's 2026-27 Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to all of our 2026-27 Teachers of the Year
Teacher of the Year Premier Sponsor
Pickens County School District is grateful for the partnership with the Tutton Group, the premier sponsor of the Teacher of the Year program. Tutton Group encompasses automotive dealerships, RV sales and service centers, agricultural equipment businesses, and a music/recording label. Tutton Group remains committed to recognizing and celebrating excellence in Pickens County schools.
Our 2026-27 Sponsors
We would like to thank our sponsors for their support of our Teacher of the Year program.
61 Main Restaurant
A & P Painting & Flooring
Brown Haven Homes - Ellijay
Chattahoochee Technical College
Clock Tower Gifts
Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED - Jasper
Community Bank of Pickens County
Ellijay Telephone Company – ETC
Garland Mountain Sporting Clays and Grill
H & H Insurance
H & R Block – Beth Bennett (Jasper/Ellijay)
iThink Financial
Mulehouse Restaurant
North Georgia Grading
Northside Hospital
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Pickens County Chamber of Commerce
Prestige Medical Group
Renasant Bank
Revolution Church (Jasper)
Smithbuilt Construction
Taylor’s Boutique
Tutton Group
United Community Bank
Victor Nails & Tan
Interested in supporting PCSD's Teacher of the Year program? If so, please reach out to Destini Shope at destinishope@pickenscountyschools.org.
About the Program
The Teacher of the Year program strives to promote and retain quality teachers and focuses on three program goals:
Elevate the teaching profession by recognizing, celebrating, and
providing unique and innovative learning experiences for highly accomplished teachers.Amplify teacher voice to advance student learning and champion
student success.Expose teachers to relevant policy topics and develop the context
for teacher leadership.
In Pickens County, we follow the guidance from the Georgia Department of Education's Georgia TOTY program.
Each school selects a Teacher of the Year based on the GA DOE criteria. Each school-level winner then competes for the Pickens County School District Teacher of the Year. For this step of the process, school-level winners are evaluated by a committee made up of community members and retired educators. The evaluation includes a paper application review, a teaching video review, and an in-person panel interview. The scores are compiled for all three areas and the candidate with the highest score is announced as our district winner at an annual Teacher of the Year banquet held in May. The winner goes on to compete for the Georgia Teacher of the Year.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Are you interested in supporting PCSD's Teacher of the Year program? If so, please reach out to Destini Shope at destinishope@pickenscountyschools.org.