Michael Owens, of Bryan County High School, was awarded Teacher of the Year earlier this week.

"He represents the best teaching Bryan County has to offer," said Dr. Sallie Brewer, Bryan County Schools superintendent.

BCHS Principal Harold Roach agreed with Brewer’s sentiments.

"He’s the most dedicated and skilled teacher I’ve ever been around," he said.

Owens said the road from being nominated to receiving the award wasn’t a quick one.

"Each individual faculty member for each school has nominations, and then they vote within their faculty and choose one for their school," Owens explained.

"Then, a team comes in and visits each of those teachers. The team consists of last year’s Teacher of the Year, a professor from Georgia Southern, and a former Board of Education member," he said. The team observes each nominated teacher and rates them.

Then, Owens said there’s a very long application process.

"You have to answer a lot of questions, and get three letters of recommendation to include with your application. I forget now how many hours it took me," he said.

But the motivation to complete the application process for Teacher of the Year was well worth it for Owens.

"It was great," he said. "It was kind of overwhelming during the meeting to have everyone stand up and give me a standing ovation. There are a lot of great teachers in the school system," Owens said.

What made Owens stand out from all those other teachers?

"For me, it’s never been like a real job, it’s always been fun," he said.

Brewer said Owens was always on hand to help his students go the extra mile.

"He doesn’t count the hours, and he’s a very creative person," she said.