Four Sarasota County teachers were recently named finalists for the school district's Teacher of the Year award. The award was developed by Ignite Education, a program that is sponsored by The Education Foundation of Sarasota County. The following teachers were announced as finalists:

• Kari Johnson, kindergarten teacher at Fruitville Elementary
• Samantha Miller, design teacher at Sarasota Military Academy
• Emily O'Brien Swope, fourth- and fifth-grade English language arts teacher at Alta Vista Elementary
• Becky Satterly, math teacher and dropout prevention coordinator at Booker High School. 

One of the four finalists will be named Teacher of the Year at a virtual awards celebration on Thursday, Jan. 21.