BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Kern County Teacher's of the Year were announced on Tuesday, after a reception was held.

Sixth grade teacher Germaine "Gigi" Maurer" from Juliet Thorner Elementary School and third grade teacher Valerie Perez from Browning Road STEAM Academy in McFarland were honored this evening.

The finalists are now eligible to apply to move on to the California State Teachers of the Year program later in the year. An alternate, Flor Gonzalez, a kindergarten teacher at Nueva Vista Language Academy in Delano, was also selected in the event that one of the finalists is unable to apply for the state competition.