Dawson County High School chemistry teacher Laura Hendrix was recently named 2012-2013 Chemistry Teacher of the Year by the Northeast Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society.

According to David Himmelsbach, awards chair for the society, in a letter regarding the award recipient, Hendrix was nominated by Dawson County High School Principal Jute Wilson along with "peer support letters, plus student comments."

"I am very pleased that one of Dawson County's own received this award and title," Wilson said. "She is a very deserving teacher. We are all very proud."

In order to win the award, she had to beat out nominees from 26 other counties in the state.

Hendrix was presented the award on April 16 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens.

This is not Hendrix's first award in a long career of teaching. She was also named Teacher of the Year for Dawson County High School for the 1991-1992 school year.

Hendrix originally started working with chemistry students as a teacher-for-hire for college students.

"I tutored in college and just decided I really enjoyed teaching the subject," she said. "I've been a teacher for 25 years. In fact, I've probably taught most of the younger teachers here chemistry."

Hendrix said she has had another award from the American Chemical Society in the past - this one while she was still learning chemistry herself.

"As a student, I was awarded a student chemistry award from the American Chemical Society," she said. "I was awarded it in 1982 for merits in chemistry."

Hendrix said she was not expecting this award from the society.

"I was very surprised to find out I had won," Hendrix said. "It's a very prestigious award."