Leigha Burnham Top 10 Finalist for GA Teacher of the Year

Leigha Burnham — who serves as the Library Media & Technology Specialist at Summerville Middle School in Chattooga County — is one of the 10 finalists for the 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

Superintendent Woods surprised Ms. Burnham today at her school to let her know she’s been selected as a finalist. Along with the other nine finalists, she will go on to meet with a panel of judges for formal speeches and interviews before selecting the 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Burnham is a highly qualified, veteran Georgia educator with unparalleled enthusiasm for promoting literacy and STEM education through the school library media center. She began the school’s first STEM program, which has now expanded to all three grade levels.

She believes that the best teachers create collaborative and creative environments where students are empowered to take ownership of their own learning. For example, by reorganizing the SMS library by genre and color-coding spine labels, book circulation is up 50%, and nonfiction circulation has increased by 25%.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Berry College, a master’s from Jacksonville State University, and a specialist’s degree from the University of West Georgia.

Throughout the month of March, we’ll be stopping by every finalist’s school to surprise them with the news that they’re in the top ten. Stay tuned — we’ll post here as each teacher is recognized!