By WHIT MCGHEE | December 8, 2015 

Dawn Norris, a guidance counselor at Vestavia Hills Elementary West, was named Elementary Teacher of the Year. Lauren Dressback, a history teacher at Vestavia Hills High School, received the Secondary Teacher of the Year award. Both teachers now qualify for the Alabama Teacher of the Year competition, a title currently held by Vestavia Hills High School instructional coach Jennifer Brown.

Norris came to Vestavia Hills Elementary West as a guidance counselor in 2007. Prior to teaching in Vestavia Hills, Norris taught fourth through seventh grades at schools in El Paso, Texas. She is also a member of the school district's Drug Awareness Team and Student Assistance Team.

Dressback's entire teaching career has taken place in over-the-mountain schools. After several years of teaching history in Homewood and Mountain Brook, Dressback arrived at Vestavia Hills High School in 2005. She served on the district's Strategic Planning Committee and leads small groups in the high school's innovative "Leading by Learning" program for teachers.

Norris and Dressback were nominated for the award by being named Teacher of the Year at their respective schools. Other 2016-17 nominees included Suzanne Bonovitch (Vestavia Hills Elementary East), Vicki Cato (Louis Pizitz Middle School), Jennifer Isbell (Liberty Park Middle School), Nancy Portera (Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park), Kristen Snable (Vestavia Hills Elementary Central), and Pam Walker (Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights).

"We are so proud of these teachers and everything they do to move our students and our school system forward," Dr. Sheila Phillips, Vestavia Hills City Schools superintendent, said Tuesday. "Dawn, Lauren, and all of our Teachers of the Year are educators who understand our mission of 'learning without limits' and work to put our students first in all they do."