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Noted

author, humorist and attorney Robert Steed joins hundreds

of teachers from throughout Georgia to celebrate the

spirit of excellence in education at The Atlanta

Journal-Constitution Honor Teacher Awards Banquet,

planned May 16 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Twenty-two

Coweta County teachers are among this year's nominees for

the prestigious awards.

As a

long-time supporter of education, keynote speaker Steed,

a partner at the Atlanta-based law firm King &

Spalding, will share his perspective and insight from his

role as current member and former president of Mercer

University's Board of Trustees.

Outside his

professional and academic endeavors, Steed also has

penned local best-selling books such as "The Sass

Menagerie," "Mail Fraud" and "Lucid

Intervals."

Steed's

remarks highlight this year's Honor Teacher Awards

Banquet, which will award 12 outstanding Georgia

educators a total of $80,000 in education grants to be

applied toward classroom programs. This year, marking a

significant increase from previous years, more than 477

educators from across the state were nominated for the

program.

"The

level of excitement and involvement in this year's Honor

Teacher Awards is an indication of the importance

Georgians place on education excellence," said Roger

Kintzel, publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is proud to be

able to provide a platform that celebrates some of the

many outstanding teachers we have in our state."

Interest in

the Honor Teacher Awards has spread throughout the

education community. In addition to the hundreds of

teachers involved this year, Georgia's largest teacher

organizations also have contributed their support. The

Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the

Georgia Parent Teacher Association and the Georgia

Association of Educators have all actively promoted the

program throughout their organizations.

With the

level of involvement the highest it has been in years,

this year's Honor Teacher Awards Banquet surely will

feature educators that will impress and inspire. "In

the 16 years since The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

created the Honor Teacher Awards, each year we are

increasingly impressed with the innovation and creativity

teachers employ in the classroom," Kintzel added.

"Each

year the bar gets raised a little higher."

The banquet

begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 16 in the Centennial

Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 205 Peachtree St.,

downtown.

Tickets are

$50 to the public and $45 to members of PAGE. Phone

404-222-2994.