A Tamaqua Elementary School teacher is in the running for the 2016 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.

Jolene Barron, a third-grade teacher who recently took her students on a "trip" across the country, is one of 12 finalists for the prestigious award.The announcement of finalists was made Wednesday by Acting Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, who said, "As a former educator, I am proud to call these professionals my colleagues, because they understand that the job of educating our youth does not begin and end with a school bell. To truly impact the life of a student requires a commitment and passion these educators demonstrate every day."Educators are nominated for the award by students, parents, colleagues and members of the community who wish to recognize their achievements both in and outside the classroom.Mrs. Barron's commitment to education was recently displayed to the world at large through the marvels of social media, although she hadn't planned it that way.Her third-grade social studies classes were studying individual states, but wanted to know more.She decided to create a fun, learning experience with the help of social media, specifically Facebook. A simple request to a private forum dedicated to Tamaqua turned into a multi-layer learning experience, for students and teacher.The request was for postcards from other states, hopefully postcards that highlighted something special about that state. The simple request went viral within two days, showcasing the wonders, and dangers, of social media.The students received postcards from each of the 50 states, multiple postcards and packages from people who wanted to share their own knowledge about their state. Then, postcards and packages started coming from people around the world.While everyone was having fun, the project created a lot of extra work, especially for Mrs. Barron. She was so grateful for the outpouring of support, she created a webpage to keep track of the responses, after school hours. Every article that was received, and each of the donors, was listed on that page, a form of homework for the teacher.The webpage also offered a learning experience for the adults who responded to the request and a cautionary tale, "I hope everyone remembers just how quickly something spreads on Facebook and other social media sites. It only took two days for this positive post to go viral. Negative things are spread twice as fast, so think twice before posting," said Barron.As for her finalist selection, she was stunned, "I honestly don't know what to say. This whole process has been incredibly humbling and overwhelming. I was honored to just be nominated, but to get to this point has been an amazing experience. There are so many wonderful teachers in my district, and even more in just this county. To be one of 12 in the state up for this award is a once in a lifetime experience."FinalistsOther finalists include: Kelly Dougherty, Liberty Bell Elementary, Southern Lehigh School District, Lehigh County; Rebecca Foxwell, Lickdale Elementary School, Northern Lebanon School District, Lebanon County; Pamela Gregg, Springton Lake Middle School, Rose Tree Media School District, Delaware County; Joe Harmon, Redbank Valley High School, Redbank Valley School District, Clarion County; Dina Howell, Penns Valley Area High School, Penns Valley Area School District, Centre County; Sharon Knight, Trinity High School, Trinity Area School District, Washington County; Jade Leung, Shaler Area High School, Shaler Area School District, Allegheny County; Alison Monk, Richland Elementary, Pine-Richland School District, Allegheny County; Kimberly Riviere, Penncrest High School, Rose Tree Media School District, Delaware County; Ann Schmidt, Conrad Weiser High School, Conrad Weiser Area School District, Berks County; and Michele Shawver, Miles Township Elementary School, Penns Valley Area School District, Centre County.The state's Teacher of the Year will be announced in December 2015 and will serve as Pennsylvania's nominee for National Teacher of the Year.