Staff reports
A veteran teacher with 37 years of experience has been named Beaufort County’s 2024-2025 District Teacher of the Year. Laura VanHorn, a second-grade teacher at Bluffton Elementary School, was selected and announced during a celebration honoring Teachers of the Year from all the district’s schools on Friday, Sept. 25.
“It’s an honor,” VanHorn said. The everchanging classroom environment is what keeps her in education. “There’s no way to predict what’s going to happen because kids are so honest and genuine. I work in early childhood, so you just never know, and that makes it worth getting up for every day.”
Bluffton Elementary School Principal Christine Brown praised VanHorn for going for the extra mile for her students. “Every day, her focus is “What can I do to make sure my students are successful?” Brown said. “For Science, she applied for a grant to start a garden so students could have hands-on learning experiences. She does everything she can to ensure the success of her students.”
The four other finalists for the 2024-2025 District Teacher of the Year were Karen Parker of Lady’s Island Middle School; Melanie Willis of Daufuskie Island Elementary School; Cinderella Shaw of Lady’s Island Elementary School; and Timothy Huesing of Hilton Head Island Middle School.
In her District Teacher of the Year application, VanHorn shared that her passion for teaching began in college, and she has never regretted that decision. She hopes her recognition serves as an inspiration for future educators. “In a time when many young teachers are quitting, I think it’s important they see that some of us are still here, still doing what we love, and fighting for the profession, for kids and for families,” She said.
VanHorn holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, with a specialization in Early Childhood, from West Virginia University.
Becoming District Teacher of the Year is a three-step process that begins when school-level teachers of the year are selected in April. Those wishing to compete for District Teacher of the Year submit detailed applications by the end of July.
In the second step, a selection committee consisting of parents, former educators, and community leaders from across Beaufort County reviews the applications and rates them using a numerical scoring system. The five highest-scoring applicants are named as finalists.
In the third step, the finalists are interviewed by a separate review committee again composed of judges from across the county. The judges scored candidates based on how well they respond to questions about current education issues. After those interviews, the panel selects the District Teacher of the Year in September, and that person represents Beaufort County in the South Carolina State Teacher of the Year program. Finalists for the state program will be announced in February.
