The votes are in and it is time to meet the very best and brightest Aiken County Public School District (ACPSD) teachers and classified employees – they are our 2017-18 Teachers of the Year and 2016-17 Giving Even More (GEM) award winners.
Each year, ACPSD Teacher of the Year honorees are nominated by their peers and selected by each school’s Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, a group including, at a minimum, a member of the administrative team and the school’s current Teacher of the Year. In addition to recognizing top teachers, last year, ACPSD introduced a new recognition program specific to our school system’s GEMS for Giving Even More in their roles as bus drivers, school food service employees, administrative assistants/secretaries, teacher’s aides, and custodians. Similarly to the Teachers of the Year, GEMS are 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.
During the selection of their school’s Teacher of the Year and Giving Even More candidate, committee members utilize a score sheet assigning varying numbers of points for such related items as educational history, professional development, community involvement, teaching philosophy, efforts to strengthen their profession, and the number of nominations the candidate received. The Selection Committee also considers information provided by the candidates themselves as part of the process in determining the teacher and classified employee who will best represent the school during the District selection process.
The Aiken County Public School District Teacher of the Year and Giving Even More Award winner will be announced during our Stars of Public Education staff recognition banquet to be held April 27, 2017, at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
Aiken County Public Schools 2017-18 Teacher of the Year Candidates and school-level winners are as follows: Jean Pesce (Aiken County Career Center); Angela Clifford (Aiken Elementary); Jeni Lambert (Aiken High); Miranda Fulmer (Aiken Middle); Jane Ayers (Belvedere Elementary); Erria Daniels (Busbee-Corbett Elementary/Middle); Ivey Savage (Byrd Elementary); Ashley Watson (Chukker Creek Elementary); Traci Powers (Center for Innovative Learning); Nicki Mock (Clearwater Elementary); Shomoneik Brown (East Aiken School of the Arts); Lollie Becton (Gloverville Elementary); Judy Boyd (Greendale Elementary); Ginger Pope (Hammond Hill Elementary); Jennifer Kelley (Horse Creek Academy); Leah Bynes (J.D. Lever Elementary); April Slack (Jackson Middle); Callie Arbaugh (Jefferson Elementary); Patrick Newsome (Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle); Deborah Coleman-Void (Leavelle McCampbell Middle); Stephanie Prandy (Kennedy Middle); Kim Ryans (Midland Valley High); Sheila Hornsby (Millbrook Elementary); Amy Edwards (Mossy Creek Elementary); Kanelia Cannon (New Ellenton Middle); Catherine “Cat” Hamilton (North Aiken Elementary); Allison Spires (North Augusta Elementary); Lynda Oswald (North Augusta High); Sandra Zeller (North Augusta Middle); Marsha Burrell (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary); Vilena Hunt (Paul Knox Middle); Melissa Snead (Redcliffe Elementary); Betsie Davenport (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary); Tiffany Middlebrooks (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/High); Agnes Hamilton (Schofield Middle); Alison Carpenter (Silver Bluff High); Kathleen Rogerson (South Aiken High); Donna Jasmin (Warrenville Elementary).
Aiken County Public Schools 2016-17 Giving Even More Award candidates and school-level winners are as follows: Natalie Fox (Aiken County Career Center); Shari Barton (Aiken Elementary); Herbert Priester (Aiken High); Rusty Perkins (Aiken Middle); Terri Collins (Belvedere Elementary); Bob Bryan (Busbee-Corbett Elementary/Middle); Lisa Lewis (Byrd Elementary); Shay Vigilant (Chukker Creek Elementary); Angela McDuffie (Center for Innovative Learning); Traci Banks (Clearwater Elementary); Rose Puckett (Division of Administration/Superintendent); Eileen Drum (Division of Finance); Tonya Spradley (Division of Instruction); Ricky Stoker (Division of Operations & Student Services); Antonio Scott (East Aiken School of the Arts); Jane Gardner (Gloverville Elementary); Harsana Green (Greendale Elementary); Becky Allen (Hammond Hill Elementary); Stacey Greene (Horse Creek Academy); Drew Sapp (J.D. Lever Elementary); Dorene Gaines (Jackson STEM Middle); Becky Martz (Jefferson Elementary); Debra Turner (Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle); Gail McCaskey (Leavelle McCampbell Middle); Johnny Williams (Kennedy Middle); Tammy Bell (Midland Valley High); Holly Beheler (Millbrook Elementary); Cathy Daniel (Mossy Creek Elementary); Andrea Alvarado (New Ellenton STEAM Middle); Katie Alexander (North Aiken Elementary); Susan Holley (North Augusta Elementary); Earnestine Stevenson (North Augusta High); Tim Anderson (North Augusta Middle); Cynthia Burgess (Oakwood-Windsor Elementary); Karen Ulmer (Paul Knox Middle); Kelly Richards (Redcliffe Elementary); Carrie Driggers (Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary); Ella Wigfall (Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/High); Angela Mitchum (Schofield Middle); Fred Trottie (Silver Bluff High); Tamra Eichelberger (South Aiken High); Linda Askew-Chandler (Wagener-Salley High); Donna Stewart (Warrenville Elementary).
Congratulations to all of these outstanding honorees on being selected as their locations’ Teacher of the Year and Giving Even More representative. Each of you serve as an inspiration to your peers, students and your professions.
An Honor Court of five candidates in the running for District Teacher of the Year and GEM will be named in the coming week in preparation to name Aiken County Public Schools Teacher of the Year and GEM on April 27.
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LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2017 PR TOY AND GEM ANNOUNCEMENT