From staff reports
Isabel Smith has been named the 2024-25 Beaufort County School District (BCSD) Induction Teacher of the Year.
Smith is a first-year Special Education teacher at Whale Branch Early College High School who loves being in the classroom, encouraging her students.
“The students are the best part,” said Smith, explaining that the connection with her students is why she loves teaching, and how this award demonstrates the significance of her job. “This affirms the fact that I’m doing something that matters and doing something that matters to the students, so I’m really honored and overwhelmed with joy for this.”
A College of Charleston graduate, Smith’s nomination, written responses, and work this academic year demonstrate her outstanding professionalism, high expectations, exceptional planning skills, strong classroom management, and reflective practices. Smith’s dedication to the profession has a substantial impact on the lives of her students and the school community.
“She goes above and beyond the call of duty,” Whale Branch Early College High School Principal Davina Coleman said. “Not just in the classroom, but I depend on her for my SPED department along with her counterpart. The school wouldn’t run without them. Ms. Smith is just simply amazing. She’s passionate about what she does, and beyond the passion she is skilled to do this work; this is her mission, and I am so proud of her.”
The BCSD Induction Teacher of the Year title is awarded to induction teachers in their first year of teaching. The selection process for this award was extensive, and many great candidates were nominated. District lead mentors and school administrators recommended their top-performing induction teachers, and the nominees completed an application with written responses, which were then carefully reviewed by a team.
Smith has been submitted for consideration for the 2024-25 S.C. Induction Teacher of the Year, sponsored by South Carolina ASCD, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a primary mission of improving the teaching and learning of all students. If Smith were to win, she would be following in the footsteps of the 2023-24 SC Induction Teacher of the Year, Mauriana Sciullo, a BCSD educator who teaches 4th grade at Pritchardville Elementary School.
“It means everything to me. I know that I can go so far in my career; this is just the beginning,” said Sciullo about being named the state winner. “I feel like this opens a lot of doors for me in the future. For moving up and just continuing to learn in my profession.”
Sciullo’s application for the S.C. Induction Teacher of the Year included an insightful essay detailing her educational background, teaching philosophy, classroom environment, and home-school connections and relationships. She said her dedication to building strong relationships with her students and their families is her favorite part of the job, “That’s the whole reason I do what I do. I love getting to know my students and their families.”
