NATCHEZ – A Natchez Adams School District employee was named the alternate State Teacher of the Year by the Mississippi Department of Education.

Tamla Hughes, who teaches English in grades 10-12, was representing the 2nd Congressional District at the awards ceremony.

“This was my Akeelah and the Bee moment,” she wrote on social media. “Natchez made me feel like the entire city was behind me, and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Hughes went on to say that her Natchez High family “has had my back from the very beginning. They have celebrated me when I didn’t feel like celebrating myself.”

And, she vowed to continue working to produce more finalists for the state competition. “We’re going to put in the work to keep sending finalists to Jackson from now on,” she wrote, adding thanks to the NASD Administrator of the Year Angela Reynolds and NASD Parent of the Year Paula Morris.

Natchez Alderwoman Valencia Hall added her praise online, saying “The City of Natchez stands behind you. Continue onward with your missions to teach and administer with integrity. The education of our youth is paramount to their success in life.”