Kerrie Seberg, a third-grade teacher at William A. Diggs Elementary School and Charles County Public School's 2012 Teacher of the Year, was named one of seven Maryland Teacher of the Year finalists by the Maryland State Department of Education. She advances to the state level along with teachers from Carroll, Cecil, Howard, St. Mary's, Talbot and Washington counties.

State finalists are selected by a panel of judges from Maryland education organizations that represent principals, teachers, school boards, teacher unions, parents and higher education. Finalists are selected based on criteria that include teaching style and philosophy, community involvement and knowledge of general education issues.

Finalist interviews will be conducted Sept. 8, and the winner will be announced at a gala reception and dinner scheduled for Oct. 5 at Martin's West in Baltimore. The state winner receives a cash award, a new car, and will be considered for the National Teacher of the Year honor.

Seberg was nominated for the county award by Diggs Principal Sandra Taylor and school staff. She started her career with Charles County Public Schools in 2007 as a second-grade teacher. At the end of the 2010-11 school year, Seberg approached Taylor and requested approval to work with the same children as their third-grade teacher for the following year after seeing significant progress among her students.

Seberg is well known among her peers and the Diggs community as a dedicated teacher who learns all that she can about her students in order to fully understand their strengths and challenges, and to also learn about their interests and dreams. Her students are praised for their work on homework assignments and quizzes, and their personal successes outside of the classroom are celebrated. Seberg focuses on each child individually, evaluates their needs and then challenges them to do more than they ever imagined was possible.

In addition to her role as teacher, Seberg is the cosponsor for Destination ImagiNation (DI) and has been a team manager for the past five years. Under her leadership, the program has experienced substantial growth, from a handful of student participants, to more than 100 students and their families. Last school year, Diggs had 14 DI teams participate at the local competition, three teams advance to the state event and one team qualified to participate at the global event.

She also chairs the school's Green Committee, volunteers to work with the Parent-Teacher-Organization (PTO) and provides additional help in math and reading after school to students through the Extended Learning Opportunity program. Seberg also mentors students in the North Point High School education careers program and presents in-service programs on technology use in the classroom.

Seberg earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and English from Cornell University, and received her master's degree in teaching from the State University of New York College at Cortland in 2007. She is currently completing a graduate certificate in early childhood autism at Johns Hopkins University.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,800 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646; (301) 932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call (301) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.