A local teacher has been named among the 16 finalists for state Teacher of the Year.

Athens High School teacher Angela Pettus and 15 other educators from around Alabama were named in a release from the Alabama State Department of Education as finalists for the 2020-2021 school year.

Pettus, a geometry and digital art teacher, was named the Athens City Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year in November and is also the District Eight Secondary Teacher of the Year.

“The state Teacher of the Year program, one of the oldest and most prestigious award programs for teachers, recognizes and honors the many contributions of our classroom teachers,” according to the ALSDE website.

According to a release from ACS, Pettus was selected from a pool of 140 educators. The candidate pool will be narrowed down to four finalists before the award winner is announced in August.

Pettus is originally from Lauderdale County and has been an educator for 24 years, according to the release. She has been with ACS for the past 15 years.

“I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember,” she said. “I love teaching young people and want to make a difference one student at a time.”

She has been with ACS for the past 15 years. Pettus said she strives to inspire students each day “by being an enthusiastic and passionate role model. I want my students to know that I care about them, believe in them and have high expectations for them.”

She thanked AHS faculty and staff for inspiring her, too.

“The AHS faculty and staff are an amazing group of dedicated individuals that inspire me daily,” Pettus said. “Their desire to do what is best for students is a constant source of great inspiration. I am also inspired daily by my students who challenge me to give my all.”

Pettus holds a bachelor’s in math and computer science education and master’s in innovative mathematics from the University of North Alabama. She is married to Jonathan Pettus and has two children, Jackson and Alyssa.

If selected as the Teacher of the Year, Pettus would spend the majority of the school year serving as a full-time ambassador for education and the teaching profession as well as presenting workshops for various groups, according to ALSDE.

Click here for a video interview of Pettus.