On Wednesday, May 17, Columbia County celebrated newly minted educators from across the school district for completing their first year of teaching.
During the event, at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, all first-year educators and their mentors reflected on this year’s accomplishments, and received recognition for their dedication to education.
In addition to each teacher reading a letter they wrote to themselves at the start of the school year, educators in attendance were also advised by last year’s Rookie of the Year teacher, the district’s current Teacher of the Year and Georgia’s official Teacher of the Year.
“This is the best place to teach, live and learn,” said Columbia County’s Superintendent Steven Flynt. “I hope that we can make Columbia County School District the place where teachers want to come … we have a vision and it’s a bold vision, but that’s what a vision is all about. I know that we can lead the nation in educational excellence.”
Allison Doyle, the previous Rookie of the Year, said teaching is not something a person ever truly masters, because every year challenges teachers with a whole new set of students, who have completely different needs, struggles, backgrounds and personalities. Doyle suggests new teachers remember to never be afraid of change and to make an effort to be lifelong learners.
“You are part of a noble profession – one that is very rewarding, but also very challenging,” she said. “I don’t want you to forget the incredible responsibility and privilege that you have accepted when becoming educators.”
Immediately following, Michael Kobito, the state’s Teacher of the Year, talked on the importance of educators identifying and remembering their reasons for pursuing a career in education; to avoid burnout or discouragement, Kobito said each educator needed to keep in mind that every child is special, and is in need of love and attention.
“Give every kid a chance to learn, laugh and be loved,” he said. “Include every child in some part of your day, and find a foolproof way to get to know your students … and remember that teaching doesn’t get easier, you just get better at it.”
Seniors graduating from the Teaching as a Profession Pathway also participated in the gathering with a ceremonial signing of letters which stated each student’s intent to pursue careers in education. Afterwards, one student from each participating high school was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Health Center Credit Union.
“Celebrating our, hopefully, future educators is a great addition to our ongoing efforts to provide a pipeline of quality teachers right here in Columbia County,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Anthony Wright. “And seeing the support that the Columbia County School District offers teachers, provides an added level of excitement and encouragement for our youth.”
Awarded seniors included: Jackson Rockefeller from Harlem High School, Dennis Marchesi from Greenbrier High School, Ashlynn Crabtree from Evans High School, Ella Combs from Grovetown High School and Nancy Mobley from Lakeside High School.
“Doing hands-on work with kids during the school day really helped me find the love within the classroom with those teachers,” said Crabtree. “And I am just really excited to see where I am going to go, and how Columbia County is going to help me get there.”
The five finalists for Rookie of the Year included: Riverside Middle School’s Belinda Flanders, Lakeside High School’s Taylor Gerlach, Cedar Elementary School’s Amanda Johnson, Grovetown High School’s Johnathan Slagle and Luke Yelton’s Columbia County Middle School.
To conclude the ceremony, Luke Yelton, a math teacher, was announced as this year’s official Rookie of the Year, and he thanked his students and his family for showing him so much support in his first year at teaching.
“It has been just a great time this year … and I stay motivated every day just by realizing that I have this blessing, and I am impacting the future of our world. I mean I am teaching students who are going to do anything and everything one day,” he said. “So, to be winning this is just incredible.”
