<em>Photo above: Bridges Prep Teacher of the Year Diana Price surprised with flowers and balloons Tuesday with (l-r) Board of Director member Tom Angelo, Board Chair Dee Matthew, Diana Price, and Chris Wilson.</em>

Diana Price, an experienced science teacher in her first year at Bridges Prep, brings determination and compassion to the classroom – and now she brings the title of Bridges Prep Teacher of the Year.

Members of the Bridges Prep Board of Directors, Interim Head of School Chris Wilson and Interim Assistant Head of School Dr. Sherri Herbst surprised Price in the Upper School lunchroom last week with the award.

“Diana Price finds ways to connect with each student, and she works hard to make sure each student learns something in her classroom, even if science isn’t their strong suit,” Board Chair Dee Matthews said. “It’s a special gift and we are so pleased to have her at Bridges.”

As Bridges Prep’s Teacher of the Year, Price’s next step will be to submit paperwork for the S.C. Charter School District statewide Teacher of the Year. Her teaching peers at Bridges Prep voted her as the school’s Teacher of the Year.

“From her first week in the Upper School at Bridges, we could all tell we had something special in her,” Wilson said. “We expect more great things from her and from all her students because of the magic in her classroom.”

Price earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a Master’s of Science in biological sciences at Clemson University.

“I recognize that all of my students are at different levels in their learning,” Price said. “Some are great speakers, others are talented at designing things, and some are clever with numbers. I have a duty to all students as they enter my classroom to recognize their potential, embrace their strengths, and work on developing their weaknesses.

“It is my end goal,” she said, “that all of my students I have the honor to teach leave my classroom knowing three significant things: They are capable, they are loved, and they should never stop learning.”

A deep desire to be close to the ocean motivated her and her husband to move to Beaufort, she said. At Beaufort High, she taught Anatomy &amp; Physiology Honors, Anatomy &amp; Physiology College Preparatory, and Principles of Biomedical Sciences.&nbsp;

Price joined Bridges Prep in 2017. At Bridges, she teaches Earth Science, Biology, Anatomy &amp; Physiology, and STEM. She is bringing the National Honor Society to Bridges and jumped into the role of treasurer for the Bridges Parent Teacher Organization.

To learn more about Bridges Preparatory School, visit www.bridgesprep.org or call 843-982-7737.