Tori Seay always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She grew up in Dawson County and attended every grade level in the Dawson County School System, from kindergarten at Black’s Mill Elementary School all the way up to graduating from Dawson County High School, and throughout her time attending classes in the district she also knew that she wanted to come back and teach in the system she grew up in. Now, Seay is in her sixth year of doing exactly that — teaching back in the school system she attended herself — and has been named as the 2023-24 teacher of the year for Robinson Elementary School.