School-related employees of the year

(View their photos, more under related photos on the right.)

The banquet will be held Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m. in the Ann & Quinton Rumph Dining Room at the Advent Christian Village Phillips Dining Hall. This year, Suwannee County will be hearing from the 2014 Florida Teacher of the Year Dorina Sackman, who will serve as the keynote speaker. Dinner will be served, followed by recognition of the teacher of the year from each school. The winner of Suwannee County’s district teacher of the year and the school related employee of the year will be announced at the banquet. Tickets are required and are $25. They can be purchased by calling 386-647-4617.

Teachers of the year announced 

The 2013-14 Suwannee County School District teachers of the year have been announced. A brief about each one is highlighted. 

Branford Elementary School

Lindsey Ramsey

The teacher of the year for Branford Elementary School is fourth grade teacher Lindsey Ramsey. She has been teaching fourth grade at BES since 2007 and holds a bachelor’s degree in education.

“My greatest contribution as an educator is I believe every child can learn. This fuels my teaching as an educator. I am constantly changing and adapting teaching strategies in order to make my students be and feel successful,” Ramsey said. “Success is not measured by a mere number. Success as a teacher is measured by the day-to-day things. I get excited when my students tell me something new they learned or mastered at home as well. Success is not just in the classroom, it occurs everywhere. Taking an AR test and passing it when you are a struggling student and hate to read, completing an AM assignment on your own are examples of things I get excited about in my class. Everyone doesn’t learn the same way, that’s my job to figure out the best way my students learn, then present it to them so they can be successful every day not just on test taking days.”

Suwannee Primary School

Bill Harris

As a physical education teacher, William C. Harris knows the importance of education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education and has been a physical education teacher since 2011. Prior to that, Harris taught third grade from 2006-10.

“The greatest contribution to the education of my students would be to teach them the real world values in the lesson I am presenting to them,” said Harris. “I believe the children I am educating perform much better and follow what they are learning much closer, when they know why they need to perform well in a subject.”

Suwannee Elementary School

Joyce McIntosh

Suwannee Elementary School’s teacher of the year is Joyce McIntosh. She teaches third grade and has been since 2005. Prior to that, McIntosh taught fourth grade from 2004-2005. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education grades 1-6 and a master’s in teaching and learning with a specialization in education technology K-12.

“My greatest contribution to my students is my heart and soul. I give them everything I have, every day,” said McIntosh. “I try to instill in each one of my students, current or past, to always work up to their potential, even when they don’t feel like it. I teach them about life, about choices and their consequences both good and bad. In life, there are no excuses and I try to make sure my students understand why.”

Suwannee Intermediate School

Kristy Chauncey

Fifth grade teacher Kristy Chauncey was selected as Suwannee Intermediate School’s teacher of the year. Chauncey has been teaching fifth grade at SIS since 2003. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in education.

“I believe my greatest contribution to the education of my students is fostering their independence and encouraging a passion for knowledge and learning,” said Chauncey. “I encourage students to think for themselves, and remind them that they are responsible for their own actions. If they don’t like the way something is going, socially or academically, I try to help them see that they have control over the choices they make. In addition, I love teaching and I love learning. I try to convey that to my students because enthusiasm is contagious and I want them to have the same passion for their future that I do.”

Suwannee Middle School

Mary Check-Cason

Mary Check-Cason has been teaching eighth grade language arts at Suwannee Middle School since 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Sociology and minor in museology. Prior to SMS, Check-Cason taught English as a Second Language and Belizean History while in the Peace Corps in Belize, Central America for four and a half years.

“I believe my greatest contribution to the education of my students is my passion for them and for their education. My students know that I care about them – both in school and out of school,” said Check-Cason. “They know I truly believe in them and have confidence that they will each succeed. I get my students excited about learning – about all there is out there in this big world that is just waiting for them. My goal is for them to be ready to face the world head on and with confidence … I connect everything I teach with life and the real world. We work hard in my class but we also generate excitement – excitement about learning new things, improving ourselves and having a good time while we learn.”

Branford High School

Abbey Warren

Branford High School chose Abbey Warren as their 2013-14 teacher of the year. Warren has been with BHS since 2012 and currently teaches algebra 1 at BHS. Warren holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Warren said her greatest contribution to the education of her students is “My caring attitude and ability to make math fun as well as easy to understand,” said Warren. “Once a student enters my room they are forever my student. I am here to help them with anything they come to me for, whether arranging a meeting with a  FWC office for a student interested in becoming a game warden to helping students with their future math classes, to just being someone who they can come to with their problems and being a shoulder to cry on.”

Suwannee High School

De Broughton

De Broughton is the 2013-14 Suwannee High School teacher of the year. She has been with SHS since 2006 and currently teaches science. Broughton holds a Master of Science in Agriculture Education and Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science/Agronomy.

“My greatest contribution to the education of my students is holistically, my sense of purpose. My personal and spiritual upbringing, along with certain personality traits have instilled in me a drive to connect with my students each and every day, and to never give up on their ability to learn,” said Broughton. “I have a faith-driven, moral conviction to make life better for our kids by facilitating positive experiences and change. I have learned from experience that students do not care about how much information I know, until they see how much I care. By showing my students that I care about their well-being and by going out of my way to make my classroom engaging and welcoming, the learning process can then be very effective and memorable for my students.”

Suwannee-Hamilton Technical Center

Vicki Clayton

The 2013-14 teacher of the year for Suwannee-Hamilton Technical Center is Vicki Clayton. She has been teaching adult education/GED since 2000. Clayton holds a Bachelor of Science degree.

“If I can see the slightest potential in my student, I will continue to encourage, coach and review over and over until they understand the skill of difficulty,” said Clayton. “By providing individualized instruction, my students have gained confidence to plan and achieve their goals, whether preparing for an occupation or a high school diploma. I have great empathy for my students because I finished my college degree later in life. I am a true example that it is possible to achieve your dreams. It is never too late.”

School-related employees of the year announced 

The 2013-14 Suwannee County School District school-related employees of the year have been announced.

Branford Elementary School

Windy Stines, paraprofessional.

Suwannee Primary School

Jody Ellison, custodian.

Suwannee Elementary School

Tanya Crain, third grade paraprofessional.

Suwannee Intermediate School

Christina Batton, paraprofessional.

Suwannee Middle School

Carla Williams, school receptionist.

Branford High School

Sharon Cregg, custodian. 

Suwannee High School

Linda Goodman, custodian.

Suwannee-Hamilton Technical Center

Georgia C. Marsden, custodian.