While teachers got a lot of attention statewide last week as a result of the 10,000 or more who took part in the SC for ED demonstration at the Statehouse in Columbia, a few in Beaufort County, along with their support staff counterparts, got a little more attention later in the week when they were announced as 2019-2020 Teachers of the Year and Support Staff of the Year for their respective schools.
The teachers and support staff were surprised Friday with flowers, pep rallies, and breakfasts as Board of Education members made surprise visits to announce the honors.
“We have so many strong teachers and support staff,” Board of Education chairwoman Christina Gwozdz said in a release, “and this is a day when we recognize a group of them to represent all of our outstanding professionals. The fact that they were selected through a process that involved their peers makes their recognition even more significant.”
Teachers of the Year are selected by their peers according to criteria established by the schools, the S.C. Department of Education and the district’s teacher forum. Teachers honored Fiday will be eligible for District Teacher of the Year honors next fall.
Support staff honorees are selected by school staff and can include social workers, school nurses, bookkeepers, office managers, teacher assistants, school secretaries and technology and data specialists.
Staff honored Friday will be eligible for District Support Staff Person of the Year.
Here are the 2019-2020 Beaufort County Teachers of the Year and Support Staff of the Year listed by school:
Battery Creek High: Beth Ann Melton (teacher), Barbara Layman (support)
Beaufort Elementary: Christene Johnson-Holmes, Sharlene Washington-Robinson
Beaufort High: Wendy Lacombe, Melissa Lather
Beaufort Middle: Rhonda McCauley, Cynthia Ytyarte
Beaufort-Jasper ACE: Raquel Bryan, Antoinette Heyward
Bluffton Elementary, ECC: Rachel Gauvreau, Nancy Toggweiler
Bluffton High: Michelle Gordon, Kitty Bryant
Bluffton Middle: Donna Floyd, Monica Prieto
Broad River Elementary: Arriel Young, Austin Major
Coosa Elementary: Cynthia Jeffrey, Tammi Ivey
H. E. McCracken Middle: Emily Rietveld, David Welch
Hilton Head ECC: Kimberly Bambeck, Caroline Wallin
Hilton Head Elementary (IB): Denise Bell, Michelle Dewan
Hilton Head Island Creative Arts, Daufuskie Island: Lyn Raichle, Katherine Todd
Hilton Head Island High: Josh Wall, Diana Santos-Lopez
Hilton Head Island Middle: DeAnna Campbell- Holmes, Cathy Woloszyk
Joseph Shanklin Elementary: Keisha Miller, Whitney Watson
Lady’s Island Elementary: Kwame Thornton, Julie Riddle
Lady’s Island Middle: Vicki Shockley, Harry Barnes
May River High School: Julie Collins, Kristy Campbell
M.C. Riley Elementary/ECC: Deborah Hammett, Ani Burkart
Okatie Elementary: Amanda Hogshead, Kari Dollar
Port Royal Elementary: Corey Hollis, Charis Sanders
Pritchardville Elementary: Deree Ward, Laura Dimaria
Red Cedar Elementary: Leanne Black, Jennifer Kreiger
Right Choices: Nancy Wolff, Alexander McBride
River Ridge Academy: Kim Fields, Ashley Herrington
Robert Smalls Intl. Academy: Ashley Holland; Mindy Brown
St. Helena Elementary, ELC: Sharonda Coaxum, Nicole Smalls
Whale Branch E.C. High: Freda McCanick, Alicia Alston
Whale Branch El., Davis ECC: Gerald Greene, Angela White
Whale Branch Middle: Karen Tooman, Mary Singleton
Adult Education: Jannie Mae Williams, Willie Mae Lewis
Transportation: Jerry Green (support)
District Office: Dominique Degraffenried
Note: The honorees for Mossy Oaks Elementary will be released at a later date.
