Finalists Competing for Five $100,000 Grants As Part of Farmers Insurance Thank America’s Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Sept. 29 -- Farmers Insurance, an insurance company, issued the following news release:

Farmers Insurance announced today that 15 teachers across the country are finalists for one of five $100,000 grants as part of the insurer group's Thank America's Teachers Dream Big Teacher Challenge . The program awards grants to teachers who "dream big" to bring bold ideas, innovative teaching methods and impactful community projects to their schools.

Each teacher is now one step closer to winning a $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge grant from Farmers . Voting from September 29 through October 29, 2017 will determine which five of the 15 finalists will have the funds to bring their proposal to life.

The 15 finalists were selected from hundreds of applications and went through a competitive evaluation and review process. The following 15 teachers, listed in alphabetical order, are hoping to make a difference in their classrooms, schools and entire communities:

Daniel Almanza (Don Bosco Technical Institute) Rosemead, California

Tracy Brosch (Sunrise Elementary) De Soto, Missouri

TuesD Chambers (Ballard High School) Seattle, Washington

Eric Day (South River High School) Edgewater, Maryland

Jessica Embacher (Adelbrook) Cromwell, Connecticut

Laura Holborow (John P. Stevens High School) Edison, New Jersey

Sherrie Johnson (Clinton High School) Clinton, Oklahoma

Joseph Menchey (Samuel Clemens High School) Schertz, Texas

Patricia Morgan (Stevenson Middle School) Honolulu, Hawaii

Jacqueline Narvaez (Alliance Academy) Oakland, California

Linda Noble (Brooklyn College Academy) Brooklyn, New York

Ro Osano (Castaic Middle School) Castaic, California

Lee Smith (Mount Pleasant Area Junior/Senior High School) Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania

Susan Thomas (Homecroft Kindergarten Academy) Indianapolis, Indiana

Bryan Turner (Milwee Middle School) Longwood, Florida

"Each finalist embodies everything we celebrate in teachers on World Teachers' Day October 5, and I urge individuals to vote in support of these amazing educators to make their big dreams a reality," said Tu-Han Phan, managing lead of Thank America's Teachers for Farmers Insurance. "These grant proposals run the gamut from outdoor learning facilities to mindful learning centers, expanding education beyond the classroom walls while involving the local community in the process."

Finalists' proposals are currently available for public voting at ThankAmericasTeachers.com. Individuals are encouraged to vote through October 29, 2017 for any of the 15 teacher proposals, but a person can only vote once for the same teacher proposal per day. In December, the five teachers with the highest vote count will each receive a $100,000 educational grant, totaling $500,000 for the Dream Big Teacher Challenge.

About Thank America's Teachers

Through Thank America's Teachers, Farmers has invested over $3 million dollars in educational grants since 2014. The public helps determine who receives the grants at ThankAmericasTeachers.com. Farmers awards 180 grants valued at $2,500 throughout the year, in addition to the five $100,000 Dream Big Teacher Challenge grants, awarded at the end of this year.