Aiken County Public Schools is pleased to announce its 2022-23 Stars of Public Education honorees, including Teachers of the Year, First Year Teachers of the Year, and Giving Even More (GEM) winners.
These outstanding individuals will be honored during the Stars of Public Education celebration, scheduled to be held in-person this year on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at Aiken High School.
“Our Stars of Public Education are among the very best in their profession and none shine brighter than those in Aiken County Public Schools,” stated Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence. “I’m very excited that this year we will be able to honor and celebrate our Stars of Public Education honorees in person.”
Teachers of the Year and First Year Teachers of the Year are nominated by their peers and selected by each school’s selection committee, a group including, at a minimum, a member of the administrative team and the school’s current honorees.
Giving Even More winners, serving in their roles as bus drivers, school food service employees, administrative assistants, teacher’s aides, custodians, and other roles, are nominated by their peers and selected at each school location and at the district office, with administration and the school’s prior GEM winner participating in a GEM Award Selection Committee.
The 2022-23 Aiken County Public Schools school-level Teachers of the Year include the following honorees:
Kortney Garrett (Aiken County Career Center); Kim Mitchell (Aiken Elementary School); Jaqueline Clavero-DeMinck (Aiken High School); Beth Moyer (Aiken INNOVATE Program); Kelley Kirkland (Aiken Intermediate School); Michelle Hughes (Aiken Scholars Academy); Ashley Corley (A.L. Corbett Middle School); Fran Gay (Belvedere Elementary School); Tammy Swartz (Busbee Elementary School); Carissa Taylor (Byrd Elementary School); Orion Palmer (Chukker Creek Elementary School); Erika Carlton (Center for Innovative Learning at Pinecrest); Kristal Hicks (Clearwater Elementary School); Melissa Tindall (East Aiken School of the Arts); Abby Murphy (Gloverville Elementary School); Latasha Malcolm (Graniteville Elementary); Ashley Davis (Greendale Elementary School); Rhett Sherman (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Shamari Moody (Jackson STEM Middle Magnet School); Jessica Washington (J.D. Lever Elementary School); Victoria Solomon (Jefferson Elementary School); Stephanie Prandy (Kennedy Middle School); Evan Lamar (LBC Middle School); Allison Verhotz (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); Ginger Proctor (Midland Valley High School); Cassie McKie (Millbrook Elementary School); Susan Fender (Mossy Creek Elementary School); Dr. Patricia Saxon (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); Jennifer Cummings (North Aiken Elementary School); Hillary Herring (North Augusta Elementary School); Richard Ball (North Augusta High School); Katie Howell (North Augusta Middle School); April Ray (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School); Tiffany Bell (Paul Knox Middle School); Jana Hightower (Redcliffe Elementary School); Sharon McCain (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Herbert McElvain (Ridge Spring-Monetta High School); Mark Wright (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); Katrina Brooks (Schofield Middle School); Khaleelah Stroman (Silver Bluff High School); Oscar Rushton (South Aiken High School); Kayla Hornsby (Wagener-Salley high School); Joy Roberson (Warrenville Elementary School); and Vikki Grisham-Gaillard (XSEL Program).
The 2022-23 Aiken County Public Schools school-level First Year Teachers of the Year include the following honorees:
Calvin Henderson (Aiken County Career Center); Matthew Drayer (Aiken Elementary School); Allie Beard (A.L. Corbett Middle School); Bryan Hadden (Belvedere Elementary School); Carolina Pearson (Busbee Elementary School); Kristen Fraley (Byrd Elementary School); Mariah Clay (Clearwater Elementary School); Jordan Jackson (East Aiken School of the Arts); Briana Bedenbaugh (Gloverville Elementary); Vivian Burdette (Graniteville Elementary); Peyton Count (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Joshua Iaukea (Jackson STEM Middle Magnet School); Lauren O’Quin (J.D. Lever Elementary School); Deshanna Walls (Jefferson Elementary School); Sarah Bowers (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); MacKenzie Waterman (Midland Valley High School); Emily Bostedor (Millbrook Elementary); Anna Keistler (Mossy Creek Elementary School); Joshua Lane (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); Toni Tutt (North Aiken Elementary School); Lori Anne Smith (North Augusta Elementary School); Michelle O’Rourke (North Augusta High School); Emily Lockridge (North Augusta Middle School); Haley Moore (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); Q’Ladrin Qourters (Schofield Middle School); Danielle Altringer (South Aiken High School); Tasha DaCosta (Wagener-Salley high School); and Azavious Tinsley (Warrenville Elementary School).
The 2022-23 Aiken County Public Schools school-level Giving Even More (GEM) winners include the following honorees:
Denise Smith (Aiken County Career Center); Rebia Moment (Aiken Elementary School); Nell Pollock Scott (Aiken High School); Tina Widener (A.L. Corbett Middle School); Katie Weaver (Belvedere Elementary School); Caitlin Poole (Busbee Elementary School); Jennifer Wright (Byrd Elementary School); Bobby “Garon” Cuthbertson (Chukker Creek Elementary School); Tara Moody (Center for Innovative Learning at Pinecrest); Heather Hammett (Clearwater Elementary School); Tonya Wizorek (Division of Finance); Hope Mullins (Division of Administration); Ashley Bodine (Division of Instruction); Brenda Still (East Aiken School of the Arts); Beth Kelley (Freedman Early Learning Center); Bernard Dukes (Gloverville Elementary School); Sarah Padgett (Graniteville Elementary School); Carrie Myers (Greendale Elementary School); Jaquelyn Devoti (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Robert Bartley (Jackson STEM Middle Magnet School); Michael Jefferson (J.D. Lever Elementary School); Shannon Boatwright (Jefferson Elementary School); Tfifany Palmer (Kennedy Middle School); Shannon Blackburn (LBC Middle School); Chevet Brown (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); Ruth Morris (Midland Valley High School); Robin Yarbrough (Millbrook Elementary School); Randi Mitchell (Mossy Creek Elementary School); James Ingram (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); Cherry Blocker (North Aiken Elementary School); Gena Adams (North Augusta Elementary School); Perlita Frison (North Augusta High School); Dana Hyer (North Augusta Middle School); Loreta Gary (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School); John Puckett (Operations and Student Services); Lisa Spires (Paul Knox Middle School); Cheryl Montalbano (Redcliffe Elementary School); Shirley Jeffery (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Amber Moody (Ridge Spring-Monetta High School); Ashley Bradley (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); Angie White (Schofield Middle School); Debby Bouknight (Silver Bluff High School); Leslie Bruno (South Aiken High School); Linda Askew (Wagener-Salley High School); and Kimberly Jackson (Warrenville Elementary School).
We look forward to honoring each location winner and announcing the school district’s Teacher of the Year, First Year Teacher of the Year, Giving Even More (GEM) in May.
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LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2022 PR STARS OF PUBLIC ED SCHOOL SCHOOL-LEVEL HONOREES