Two local school system educators are nominated as Hidden Heroes campaign.
Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI), a Georgia-based nonprofit organization, launched its fifth annual Hidden Heroes, a crowdsourced statewide campaign elevating regard for the teaching profession and igniting a wave of gratitude among the general public for the work of public school educators and employees.
Locally, Cathy Johnson, director of School Nutrition for Richmond County School System, and Annette Baughman, bus driver with Columbia County School District, are nominated.
The campaign accepted nominations for difference-makers in education until Oct. 31. Nominees include anyone who works within school walls or districts in Georgia from superintendents to bus drivers, teachers to administrators, nutritionists to instructional coaches.
“Teaching is the profession that makes every other profession possible. Not only is teaching a noble and rewarding way to make a living for a generation seeking purpose and meaning, it’s a role deserving of our collective respect. GLISI’s Hidden Heroes campaign does three important things: 1) it reminds each of us of the difference a teacher made in our own lives, 2) it signal boosts gratitude and reverence for teachers, and 3) it acknowledges the tremendous work of the teachers and educators who get up in every community of Georgia to pour into young people and our future,” said CEO and Executive Director of GLISI, Leslie Hazle Bussey, Ph.D.
She added that it’s encouraging to see young people once again choose education as a profession.
“Some Georgia education programs are seeing increased enrollment and we proudly claim our part in the tapestry of efforts aimed at this goal,” she said.
A voting period will be held from Nov. 1, 2024, at noon through Nov. 22, 2024, at 5 p.m. Nominees with the most votes will receive a cash prize, courtesy of campaign sponsors Kennesaw State University’s Bagwell College of Education, Georgia Power, and Parker Poe. Winners will be announced on Dec. 3, 2024.
To vote, visit hiddenheroes.glisi.org.
