Ola Ross, a science teacher at Demopolis Middle School, was named the 2008 Demopolis Teacher of the Year as presented by Wal-Mart Inc. The announcement was made public Thursday at DMS.

Ross earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) in 1973. She is in her 23rd year with the Demopolis City School System and taught for 12 years at Demopolis Academy. She also taught for one year at Southern Academy in Greensboro.

“Students nominate their teachers through an election form,” said Wal-Mart personnel manager Doris Stephens. “They must also give their criteria for nominating that teacher, things that go above and beyond the normal duties of what they do to help students. Ms. Ross’s nomination really stood out for us.”

“I really feel blessed and surprised,” Ross said. “I’ve been teaching for 35 years, and I’ve been teaching science for most of that time. We do a lot of hands-on activities in my class, and the students seem to enjoy that a lot. I love teaching science because watching students discover something for the first time is so exciting, and I enjoy making science fun.”

Demopolis Middle School also received a $1,000 grant from Wal-Mart for being the site of this year’s Teacher of the Year.