A Thomas County Middle School teacher is being recognized by the Georgia Power Foundation.

Joseph Wiggins, a recent graduate of Valdosta State University and a first-year teacher in the Thomas County School System, received a $1,000 New Teacher Assistance grant from the Georgia Power Foundation.

The purpose of the grant is to encourage Georgia’s best and brightest new teachers by helping them purchase materials and supplies for their classroom.

“We received some funds to use for things that we can’t usually purchase and that we normally wouldn’t be able to get from the school warehouse,” said Wiggins. “The items I purchase will help to enhance student learning and student achievement.”

Candidates for the grant are in the top 25 percent of their graduating class academically and must have shown a high aptitude for teaching while in college.