Gulf Breeze's Erin Cosky named county's Teacher of the Year

GULF BREEZE — Gulf Breeze High School science teacher Erin Cosky is the 2019 Teacher of the Year. Members of the Santa Rosa School District and Santa Rosa County Education Foundation surprised Cosky and her class on Jan. 24 to deliver the message.

Cosky teaches earth and space science along with advanced placement environmental science at Gulf Breeze High School.

She is Santa Rosa’s nominee for the Florida Department of Education’s Teacher of the Year 2019. The Florida Teacher of the Year will be selected in May and will serve as Florida’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year, to be announced in January 2019.

Santa Rosa Schools Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick addressed Cosky and her class at the school.

"Mrs. Cosky is our teacher of the year chosen by her peers, selected by her peers, reviewed by her peers," he said. "The Santa Rosa Education Foundation, they select our Teacher of the Year. The school system doesn’t. Some powerful people in our community get the opportunity to look around Santa Rosa County and see what’s taking place. They have seen what happens here in your classroom."

"I’m so overwhelmed," Cosky said. "I’m very honored to be the representative teacher for all of Santa Rosa teachers in the district that are so amazing. It’s nice but it’s overwhelming to be at the top because there are so many amazing teachers up there."

Natalie Cross, a student in Cosky’s science class, said her teacher deserves the award.

"She’s always super excited to be here and makes us excited to be here in first period when we’re tired and we don’t really want to be here," Cross said. "She’ll design…fun labs to cater to every different learning style…She lets us know she appreciates us.

"We had this whole month or two of days where she would…pick a different student and tell us why she’s thankful she has (him or her) in her class…I think the award was meant for her and teachers like her."

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Gulf Breeze's Erin Cosky named county's Teacher of the Year