Christy Todd is on the cusp of another amazing achievement. Todd has been named one of four finalists for 2024 National Teacher of the Year.
Todd is a music technology teacher at Rising Starr Middle. She was named the 2022 Fayette County Public Schools Teacher of the Year and became the first teacher from Fayette County to be named Georgia Teacher of the Year.
In addition to teaching classes at Rising Starr, she is the founder of the district’s Community for Creativity initiative, supporting school-wide creation of songs, podcasts, videos, audio books, and more, which are released through the school’s recording label, Hall Pass Entertainment.
Passionate about building opportunities for all students to create, Todd launched a special music collaboration between fine arts and special education classrooms that has impacted more than 10,000 students over the last 15 years.
Todd’s career recognitions include 2013 Grammy Music Teacher of the Year National Quarterfinalist, 2016 Georgia Middle School Association’s Teacher of the Year, and 2022 Fayette County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Todd was honored recently as a key youth influencer by the United States Navy’s Blue Angels and had the experience of a lifetime riding in an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet
The National Teacher of the Year Program is run by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Each year, states, U.S. extra-state territories, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity select outstanding educators to serve as State Teachers of the Year. From a cohort of 55 State Teachers of the Year, the National Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, comprising 16 individuals and education organizations, selected finalists based on written applications.
The finalists will interview with the National Teacher of the Year Program’s Selection Committee, and CCSSO will announce the 2024 National Teacher of the Year later this spring. The 2024 National Teacher of the Year will spend the next year serving as an ambassador and advocate for all teachers and students.
