Here are the finalists for Indiana Teacher of the Year

The top 10 finalists have been announced for the 2023 Indiana Teacher of the Year. For over 60 years, the Indiana Department of Education has selected one teacher for the honor who has gone above and beyond to support and educate Hoosier students. 

Finalists for the award are selected by a committee of former teachers of the year, IDOE staff, higher education representatives, as well as education and community leaders.  

This is the second year the state has selected a Teacher of the Year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The state collectively named all Indiana teachers recipients of the 2021 award in recognition of the disrupted school year. Sharita Ware of the Tippecanoe School Corporation was awarded the title for 2022. 

The Indiana Teacher of the Year will work to help elevate the teaching profession in Indiana, as well as represent Hoosier educators at a national level.

“Nearly everyone can remember their favorite teacher – the person who taught them, encouraged them and inspired them to achieve their dreams,” Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a statement. “Indiana is home to exceptional teachers across the state, and this year’s top 10 Teacher of the Year finalists are especially impressive. Our teachers’ work matters today and will continue to impact students throughout their entire lives.” 

The 2023 Indiana Teacher of the Year finalists: 

• Kathleen Avery, South Bend Community School Corporation
• Amanda Beck, Tippecanoe School Corporation
• Jason Beer, Southwest Allen County Schools
• Tara Cocanower, Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District
• Joshua DeBard, Lebanon Community School Corporation
• Amanda Fox, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
• Helen Hearon, Mill Creek Community Schools
• Kelly Hine, Zionsville Community Schools
• Courtney Ramos, MSD of Wayne Township
• Karisa Schwanekamp, Plainfield Community School Corporation

The Indiana Teacher of the Year will be announced later this fall. 

Contact WFYI education reporter Elizabeth Gabriel at egabriel@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @_elizabethgabs.