By Ashley Izbicki, WBIR

Nearly 2,000 graduates in black caps and gowns received their diplomas at the University of Tennessee Friday, but one journalism and electronic media major had no idea her younger brother, who has been deployed for the past 16 months, flew home to surprise her on stage.

(WBIR-Dandridge) Today is your last chance to vote for a local teacher nominated for the TODAY show's "Teacher of the Year."

Billie Yardley, who teaches drama at Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, is one of three finalists competing for the grand prize of $10,000 in school supplies.

The prize money would definitely go a long way for Mrs. Yardley. When the roof collapsed over her classroom due to heavy rains in June, she lost more than 30 years of costumes, props and scripts. Now her entire classroom is reduced to a rolling cart.