Robin Copp, principal at Ooltewah High School, is the Principal of the Year for southeast Tennessee.
Copp will next compete against 17 other principal nominees from across the state for the state's Principal of the Year Award. The winner will be chosen this summer and honored during the Tennessee Educational Leadership Conference in Nashville this October.
Hamilton County Schools Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly said he was not surprised to hear Copp was named a finalist.
"Ms. Copp is truly one of the best academic leaders, not only in Hamilton County, but probably the state," Kelly said in a statement.
Kelly said he is proud to have Copp represent the district at the state level, as she is an example of a great leader who inspires both educators and students.
Copp was named principal at Ooltewah High School last summer, after the former principal Jim Jarvis was removed from the school following the basketball team's pool-cue rape scandal. Before serving at Ooltewah, Copp was the principal at Signal Mountain Middle/High.