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Taylor Ranch Elementary science teacher Lisa Figueroa was named the Sarasota County Teacher of the Year on March 27 in an eve- ning ceremony at Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota. The event also honored the can- didates from schools throughout the county, the Sarasota County Schools has announced. Figueroa was chosen from among three finalists, the release notes. The others were Ian Ackroyd, a Venice Middle School music teacher, and Gina Barresi, a Sarasota High School English teacher. Accepting the award, Figueroa told the audi- ence of teachers, administrators, School Board members and community supporters about the call-and-response ritual she leads every day in her science labs at the Venice school, the release continues. "Who are you?" she asks her students. "I am a unique and powerful person!" they answer. "Why are you here?" she asks. The children respond, "I am here to believe in myself and make a difference!" "The kids are the reason I'm here," said Figueroa during her remarks. "Their excite- ment about science makes me want to be a better teacher." Figueroa has 14 years of teaching experi- ence, all of them in Sarasota County, the release points out. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a master's degree in ELEMENTARY EDUCATOR NAMED DISTRICT'S TEACHER OF THE YEAR Lisa Figueroa addresses the audience after being named Teacher of the Year. Contributed photo by Prestige Portraits by Lifetouch Sarasota News Leader April 4, 2014 Page 70