Aiken County Public Schools is pleased to announce its 2021-22 Stars of Public Education honorees, including Teachers of the Year, First Year Teachers of the Year, Giving Even More (GEM) winners, Assistant Principals of the Year, and Principals of the Year.
This group of outstanding individuals will be honored during the school district’s annual Stars of Public Education celebration to be held Thursday, June 3, 2021. Due to pandemic health and safety protocols, this year’s Stars of Public Education staff recognition will be a virtual event.
“We truly have an amazing group of stars here in Aiken County Public Schools and it is always exciting to be able to honor those who are among the very best in their profession,” stated Aiken County Superintendent King Laurence. “I look forward to celebrating all of our Stars of Public Education honorees in June.”
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.
Assistant Principals of the Year and Principals of the Year are nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of District administrators.
The 2021-22 Aiken County Public Schools school-level Teachers of the Year include the following honorees:
Carolyn Anderson (Schofield Middle School); Allison Bennett (Aiken Intermediate School); Marcia Lee Blizzard (A.L. Corbett Elementary School); Erika Carlton (Center For Innovative Learning at Pinecrest); Amelia Clark (Gloverville Elementary); Jimmy Clark (Greendale Elementary School); Carole Collum (Kennedy Middle School); Nicole Conaway (Clearwater Elementary School); DeAnn Coursey (North Aiken Elementary School); Kimberley Devine (XSEL); Anna Evenson (Graniteville Elementary School); Brenda Gallardo (Warrenville Elementary School); Rick Gill (North Augusta Middle School); Yashonda Goodwin (Paul Knox Middle School); Jessica Graves (Chukker Creek Elementary School); Rosalyn Greene (Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School); Shannon Green (East Aiken School of the Arts); Taylor Harling (Redcliffe Elementary School); Bridgett Harter (Cyril B. Busbee Elementary School); Ashley Leaphart (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School); Keely Lillard (Byrd Elementary School); Nichole Mack (Silver Bluff High School); Ola Martin (South Aiken High School); Danielle Martin-Abernathy (J.D. Lever Elementary School); Gail Moody-Johnson (Ridge Spring-Monetta High School); Alyson Moots (Aiken Scholars Academy); Venning Morrison (Wagener-Salley High School); Kristine Pencille (Jefferson Elementary School); Amanda Pond (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Jennifer Prescott (North Augusta Elementary School); Danille Quattlebaum (Jackson STEM Magnet Middle School); Jason Redd (Aiken High School); Christopher Roberts (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); Tonya Rodgers (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Trina Smith (Aiken County Career and Technology Center); Ann Stauffer (Millbrook Elementary School); Ashley Sutherland (North Augusta Middle School); Donna Tipton (Mossy Creek Elementary School); Jodi Trapp (Belvedere Elementary School); Keisha Uhle (Aiken Elementary School); Christine Walcott (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); Sara Anne Wood (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); and Bianca Woodard (Midland Valley High School).
The 2021-22 Aiken County Public Schools school-level First Year Teachers of the Year include the following honorees:
Jillian Barrera (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Sydney Bachman (Langley-Bath-Clearwater Elementary School); Carrissa Brown (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); Hallie Brubaker (Millbrook Elementary School); Jordan Chavous (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Whitney Chipman (South Aiken High School); Sherri Drafts (North Aiken Elementary School); Kathleen Evans (Chukker Creek Elementary School); Kristy Ghrist (Aiken High School); Cassandra Glovier (North Augusta Elementary School); Kayla Hawn (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); Candice Holbrooks (Clearwater Elementary School); Isabelle Holland (Warrenville Elementary School); Jordan Horton (Graniteville Elementary School); Holley Hughes (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School); Katelyn Jones (Gloverville Elementary School); Leah Kelly (Greendale Elementary School); Alex Kinard (Paul Knox Middle School); Shannan Elizabeth Mas (A.L. Corbett Elementary School); Alyse Meierhenry (Byrd Elementary School); Lauren Miskinis (Schofield Middle School); Taylor Morris (Cyril B. Busbee Elementary School); Charlotte Noel Moore (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); Kristen Payton (East Aiken School of the Arts); Ariel Pearson (Midland Valley High School); Stephanie Redd (Aiken County Career and Technology Center); Sydney Renfroe (Belvedere Elementary School); Lauren Walker (Aiken Elementary School); Darius Washington (Silver Bluff High School); Sarah Williams-Shealy (Wagener-Salley High School); and Cathleen Woenker (North Augusta Middle School).
The 2021-22 Aiken County Public Schools school-level Giving Even More (GEM) winners include the following honorees:
Sherry Abney (Aiken County Career and Technology Center); Gena Adams (Chukker Creek Elementary School); Lisa Altemose (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School); Kelia Andrews (Warrenville Elementary); Angela Beaty (Clearwater Elementary School); Bobbi Boatwright (Graniteville Elementary School); Da’Mon Bradley (Greendale Elementary School); Marcia Bush (Mossy Creek Elementary School); Leonard Bynem (Wagener-Salley High School); Christine Collins (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Christy Collins (Millbrook Elementary School); Paula DeJong (Aiken Elementary School); Tyrone Deloach (Jackson STEM Magnet Middle School); Amanda Derrick (Ridge Spring-Monetta High School); Helen Drayton (Silver Bluff High School); David Elam (Aiken Intermediate School); Rumona Frazier (XSEL); Edese Grant (North Augusta Middle School); Sherri Gomez (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); Lisa Harris (North Augusta Elementary School); Nancy Hash (Freedman Early Learning Center); Lisa Herrera (Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle School); Corey Holsenback (Division of Finance); Shirley Jones (Cyril B. Busbee Elementary School); Tracey Marie Johnson (A.L. Corbett Elementary School); Michelle Lee (Division of Instruction); Philip Luton (Kennedy Middle School); Cheryl May (Belvedere Elementary School); Kathy McCann (North Augusta High School); Judy Moulton (Byrd Elementary School); Agnes Norton (Paul Knox Middle School); Linda Palmer (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Chanda Pernell (East Aiken School of the Arts); Janet Powell (Jefferson Elementary School); Kelly Ravello (Center For Innovative Learning at Pinecrest); Amanda Robinson (Midland Valley High School); Rashad Roland (Division of Operations); Eula Mae Rushton (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); Ruby Smith (Gloverville Elementary School); Chrissy Still (Division of Human Resources); Valdreana Suggs (North Aiken Elementary School); Penny Summer (J.D. Lever Elementary School); Donna Washington (Schofield Middle School); Sharon Williams (Redcliffe Elementary School); Hunter Wilson (Aiken High School); Sheila Withers (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); and Victor Yarborough (South Aiken High School).
The 2021-22 Aiken County Public Schools Assistant Principals of the Year winners include the following honorees:
Kyle Blankenship (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); John "Allen" Burnham (Wagener-Salley High School); Eugene Bush Rodgers (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Lindsey Hager (North Augusta Elementary School); Alisa Hamrick (Aiken High School); Annabeth Harbeson (East Aiken School of the Arts); Steven Paul Kolodizieizyck (Leavelle McCampbell Middle School); Kamar Lee (Schofield Middle School); Nathan Lobaugh (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School); Kristin Risher (North Augusta High School); and Leroy Walker (Aiken Elementary School).
The 2021-22 Aiken County Public Schools Principals of the Year winners include the following honorees:
Shunte Dugar (New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School); Lisa Fallaw (East Aiken School of the Arts); Dr. Scott Floyd (Schofield Middle School); Charlene Heard (Warrenville Elementary School); Callie Herlong (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School); Eric Jeffcoat (Hammond Hill Elementary School); Sidney Johnson (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle School); and Patricia Wilson (North Augusta Elementary School).
We look forward to honoring each location winner and announcing the district Teacher of the Year, First Year Teacher of the Year, Giving Even More (GEM), Assistant Principal of the Year, and Principal of the Year winners in June.
This week during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 3-7) the Teacher of the Year Honor Court, First Year Teacher of the Year Honor Court, and Giving Even More (GEM) Honor Court are being announced.
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2021 PR STARS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION WINNERS