East Coweta High School chemistry teacher Martha Milam was named Coweta County’s 2015 Teacher of the Year at the annual ceremony held May 13.
Milam, an 11-year educator and a leader in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs at ECHS and in the Coweta school system, was chosen for the honor from among Coweta’s 31 Teachers of the Year, said school system spokesman Dean Jackson.
Milam will serve as Coweta County’s nominee for Georgia Teacher of the Year. Coweta’s school Teachers of the Year are chosen each year by their peers, and the county Teacher of the Year is chosen from among them by previous Teachers of the Year and an independent panel of judges, Jackson said.
Milam has taught at East Coweta High since 2008. After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Furman University and a master’s degree in chemistry from Georgia Tech, she worked at Michelin Tires, in her field, Jackson said. While her career was rewarding, and though she did not anticipate becoming a professional educator, Milam said she was drawn to teaching early, Jackson added.
“In graduate school, I was required to teach classes, and in those classrooms I felt a connection to my students as I caught the light in their eyes when they crossed barriers to understanding,” said Milam. “Those connections drew me into the field of education as I discovered that my passion for teaching students was far greater than my passion for doing science.”
Milam also taught chemistry at the University of Houston and at Cypress Creek High School before coming to East Coweta in 2008. She is a member of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers and a member of the Georgia and National Science Teachers Association.
In 2014, Milam was voted the High School STEM Teacher of the Year for Coweta County, a Star Educator on the Discovery Education Network and is the current leader in the Georgia STEM Educator Laureate Program. She also coaches East Coweta’s Science Olympiad Team helped start teams at other Coweta schools, started the school’s Advanced Placement chemistry program and mentors student interns at local STEM business partners, said Jackson.
East Coweta Principal Evan Horton said that when he thinks of STEM at East Coweta, “I think of Martha Milam.”
Horton said that Milam is an outstanding teacher, an inspiration to her students and a leader at East Coweta High School.
Milam spoke at the Wednesday program along with fellow finalists Cheri Barnett and Jason Fairchild. Barnett is a 15-year educator and 3rd grade teacher at Moreland Elementary School. Fairchild is a self-contained special education teacher at Lee Middle School.
Milam, Fairchild and Barnett were honored along with all 31 Coweta County school Teachers of the Year at a Coweta County Board of Education program on Wednesday, held at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts.
