Tonya Hills
Tampa, FL

Ventura, California. The Advisory Board Members of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day are pleased to announce that the top ten nominees for the 2008 Sunday School Teacher of the Year have been selected! After conducting a nationwide search, the top ten nominees were chosen based on their dedication to teaching the Word of God, their outstanding innovation and creativity in teaching, and their personal involvement with the students.Based on these criteria, we would like to congratulate Tonya Hill as one of the top ten nominees for 2008 Sunday School Teacher of the Year!

Tonya is a fourth & fifth grade Sunday School teacher at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida. Her lessons are always filled with life applications and centered on God’s Word. She is involved in all the Sunday School activities and fundraisers. Last summer she led the Vacation Bible School for nearly 400 children with over 200 volunteers. Despite being the mother of 5 small children and the primary caregiver to an ailing father, Tonya still has perfect attendance each week and is ready to greet her students with a bright smile and sweet spirit. It is because of Sunday School teachers like Tonya, that children have been able to receive a wonderful Sunday School education and built a strong foundation in their faith..

As one of the top ten nominees for this award, Gospel Light, sponsor of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, will honor Tonya with special gifts and recognition. Also, she will receive gift products worth over $150 in value. We encourage the churches of the top ten nominees to organize a nice presentation to honor these teachers for their achievements.

Tonya Hills

Barbara Sostaita

Bonita Jennings

Carolyn Greenplate

Deacon Chevis

Esther Harmon

Amanda Schroeder

The remaining finalists were honored in their local churches:

• Tonya Hills
  Tampa, FL
• Barbara Sostaita
  Rural Hall, NC.
• Bonita Jennings
  Murray, Kentucky
• Carolyn Greenplate
  Glen Rock, PA
• Deacon Chevis
  Philadelphia, PA
• Esther Harmon
  Bellevue, WA
• Amanda Schroeder
  Hastings, Nebraska
• Maria Donihoo
  Garland, TX
• Crystal Sumpter
  Issaquah, WA

The fifteenth annual search for the 2009 Sunday School Teacher of the Year will soon be underway as part of Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day, Individuals and churches interested in participating may visit www.mysundayschoolteacher.com or call the Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day hotline at 1-800-354-4224 to receive free information.  Nomination forms are downloadable or can be directly submitted online at www.mysundayschoolteacher.com.  The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2009 Sunday School Teacher of the Year is August 31, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. 

Always the third Sunday in October, Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day was started by Gospel Light in 1993 to encourage churches across America to honor the over 15 million Sunday School Teachers who volunteer every Sunday.  Gospel Light is committed to providing effective resources for evangelism, discipleship and Christian education through Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curricula, DVDs and books.