Jacksonville Public Education Fund Announces the Nominees for 2021 VyStar Duval County Teacher of the Year
More than 175 teachers were nominated for their school's honor during the 2020-2021 school year.
9/21/2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 21, 2020 — The Jacksonville Public Education Fund is proud to announce the Teachers of the Year in public schools across Duval County, after principals nominated more than 175 outstanding educators for the district’s top teaching honor of 2021 VyStar Duval County Teacher of the Year.
The teachers will go on to be considered as semi-finalists and finalists for the county’s top teaching honor and they will be invited to apply for JPEF’s Teacher Leadership Initiative, a professional learning community that connects teacher leaders with best practices in equity and school quality, to drive measurable improvements in their schools. JPEF is also proud to welcome a new title sponsor for the county’s top teaching honor – VyStar Credit Union, the largest credit union headquartered in Northeast Florida.
This year, JPEF is proud to host the EDDY Awards on January 27, 2020, with an exciting new format in the celebration’s 30th year. The event will take place as a small elegant luncheon and an hourlong TV Special, the EDDY Awards: Live from Jacksonville! Through a partnership with Channel 4/The Local Station, News4Jax Morning Show anchor Melanie Lawson will take audiences live to the event, where the winner of the top honor will be announced as school communities tune in to watch across the county.
“We are so proud to celebrate teachers this year, as our community and country are seeing, like never before, the critical role our schools and teachers play,” said JPEF President Rachael Tutwiler Fortune. “We are also so proud to support them through a professional learning community during this challenging year.”
Through the Teacher Leadership Initiative, JPEF will offer Teachers of the Year an unparalleled learning opportunity with other leading teachers across the county. Teachers will be able to choose an area of study and learn from leading education experts, including from partner organizations such as TNTP and Hope Street Inc., which specializes in trauma-informed teaching. Then, they will engage in cohorts with teacher leader coaches who were selected to facilitate learning through a rigorous application process. Over the year, they will work on action research projects in their schools to make a lasting impact on equity and school quality.
“Research shows teachers value professional learning with their peers that they guide themselves,” said Warren Buck, JPEF Director of Teacher Leadership and a former teacher and principal in Duval County. “Our Teacher Leadership Initiative is designed to help retain great teachers in Duval County by supporting their leadership in schools.”
School-level Teachers of the Year will be eligible to apply for the county-wide honor of VyStar Duval County Teacher of the Year. The winner of the Duval County title will go on to compete for the state-wide Florida Teacher of the Year.
Contact Stephanie Garry Garfunkel, Director of Marketing & Communications, at (352) 359-2393 or stephanie@jaxpef.org for more information.
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About the Jacksonville Public Education Fund
The Jacksonville Public Education Fund is an independent think-and-do tank working to close the opportunity gap for low-income students and students of color in partnership with public schools. We identify and spread best practices in equity and school quality through our strategic partnerships and initiatives with school leaders, teachers and parents.
LIST OF SCHOOL-LEVEL TEACHERS OF THE YEAR (ALPHABETICAL BY SCHOOL NAME)
Philip Randolph Career Academies - Jacqueline Williams
Abess Park Elementary School - Heath Matz
Alden Road Exceptional Student Center - Cathlyn Cabuco
Alfred I. duPont Middle School - Augustine Kaiwa
Alimacani Elementary School - Aida Oliver
Andrew A. Robinson Elementary - Kiana Hendon
Andrew Jackson High - Shamariton Ashley
Annie R. Morgan Elementary School - Katasha Jackman
Arlington Elementary - Rishena Hicks
Arlington Heights Elementary - Karla Meyer
Arlington Middle School - Sonya Russell
Atlantic Beach Elementary - Spencer Carper
Atlantic Coast High School - Donna Mathis
Baldwin Middle-Senior High - Susan Seagraves
Bartram Springs Elementary - Rebecca Huth
Bayview Elementary School - Paulya Fields
Beauclerc Elementary - Emma Araya
Biltmore Elementary - Amneris Rodriguez-Lugo
Biscayne Elementary - Gladys Barrington
Biscayne High School - Matthew Janus
Brentwood Elementary School of the Arts - Anne Tomko
BridgePrep Academy of Duval - Katherine Sands
Brookview Elementary School - Lynn Bartlett
Carter G. Woodson Elementary - Kenneth Ford
Cedar Hills Elementary School - Kayla Santiago
Central Riverside Elementary - Michelle Schurott
Chaffee Trail Elementary - Jonalyn Tamares
Chets Creek Elementary - Christine Bell
Chimney Lakes Elementary - Stacey Eliason
Crown Point Elementary School - Rachel Nunnally
Crystal Springs Elementary - Sherri Johnson
Darnell Cookman School of the Medical Arts - Bradley Winkler
Dinsmore Elementary - Wendy Prince
Don Brewer Elementary - Tracey Brown
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts - Brad Lyda
Duval Charter School at Mandarin - Maria Chachra
Duncan U. Fletcher High School - Nicole Gilbert
Duncan U. Fletcher Middle School - Lynette Smiley-Belle
Duval Charter School at Southside - Ivania Woodmore
Duval MYcroSchool - Hillary Lee
Duval Virtual Instruction Academy - Leslie Jones
Edward H. White High School - Cassandra Howell
Englewood Elementary School - Megan Marsh
Englewood High School - Shagara Bradshaw
Enterprise Learning Academy - Georgette Cooper
First Coast High School - Kaylee Petik
Fishweir Elementary - Susan Burns
Florida Cyber Charter Academy - Samantha Kimmel
Fort Caroline Elementary - Marjorie Sellers
Fort Caroline Middle School of the Visual and Performing Arts - Tikila Shakespeare
Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology - Tiffany Abbott
Garden City Elementary - Leslie Wilkinson
George Washington Carver Elementary School - Tess Nettles
Global Outreach Charter Academy - Miyumi Pierce
Grand Park Education Center - Monte King
GRASP Academy - Keaton Spillman
Greenfield Elementary School - Jill Vaccaro
Greenland Pines Elementary - Stephanie Boswell
Gregory Drive Elementary School - Janelle Rodriguez
Hendricks Avenue Elementary - Ashley Halil
Henry F. Kite Elementary - Lakeshia Love
Highlands Elementary School - Natalie Miller
Highlands Middle School - Blakely Johnson-Lee
Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary - Kimberly Gilmore-Bryant
Holiday Hill Elementary - Danielle Hernandez
Hyde Grove Elementary School - Mia Dughi
Hyde Park Elementary - Jordan Swartz
J. Allen Axson Montessori School - Robyne Dubberly
J.E.B. Stuart Middle School - Jamel Dunn
Jacksonville Beach Elementary - Lori Cheanvechai
Jacksonville Heights Elementary - April McRae
Jacksonville Youth Academy/Impact House - Tashaunda Lynch
James Weldon Johnson - Charlotte Wintz
Jean Ribault High School - Quenitra Sams
Jean Ribault Middle School - Jamie Bailey
Jefferson Davis Middle School - Lajuana Smith-Jones
John E. Ford PK-8 English/Spanish Montessori - Staci Pendry
John Stockton Elementary - Emma Johns
Joseph Finegan Elementary - Brittany Barbatelli
Joseph Stilwell Military Academy of Leadership - Edward Grant
Julia Landon College Preparatory and Leadership Development School - Mathew Schemer
Kernan Middle School - Andrew Grindle
Kernan Trail - Jill Snodgrass
Kings Trail Elementary - Hailey Ellis
KIPP Bessie Coleman Academy - Logan McNatt
KIPP Impact Academy - Jalencia Singleton
KIPP VOICE Academy - Ayana Wilkins
Kirby-Smith Middle School - Cherie Montoya
Lake Lucina Elementary - Kimberly Parker
Lake Shore Middle School - Alicia Henderson
Landmark Middle School - Andrew Ohmann
LaVilla School of the Arts - Karen Sheard
Lone Star Charter High School - Alexandra Kanioros
Lone Star Elementary - Sara Cameron
Long Branch Elementary School - Jill Fritz
Loretto Elementary - Joan Vogt
Louis Sheffield Elementary School - Alexis Bizzell
Love Grove Elementary - Shannon McKinney
Mamie Agnes Jones Elementary - Vicki Wall
Mandarin High School - Jim Schmitt
Mandarin Middle School - Kathy Stilley
Mandarin Oaks Elementary - Margaret Rogero-Hastings
Marine Science Education Center - Charles Carney
Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School - Shyrell Brown
Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School - Katie Kiefaber
Mattie V. Rutherford Middle School Alternative Education - Alfreda Denson-Butler
Mayport Coastal Sciences Elementary School - Maria McMahon
Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School - Donyale Garvey
Merrill Road Elementary - Jeanette Mueller
Mt. Herman Exceptional Student Center - Avery Vaughn
Neptune Beach Elementary - Karly Heal
New Berlin Elementary - Lauren Herrington
Normandy Village Elementary School - Samantha Ulmer-Harris
North Shore Elementary School - Kenya Mayhew
Northwestern Legends Elementary School - Teva Monroe
Oak Hill Academy - Demetria Johnson
Oceanway Elementary School - Amy Elliott
Oceanway School - Rebekkah Link
Ortega Elementary - Maddie Ragland
Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center - Beverly Castro
Parkwood Heights Elementary - Donna Poole
Paxon School for Advanced Studies - Hannah Lakatos
Pickett Elementary - Rebecca Lester
Pine Estates Elementary School - Lindsay Williams
Pine Forest School of the Arts - Michelle Lovelace
Pinedale Elementary School - Melanie Mitchell
R. V. Daniels Elementary - Terrence Sellars
Ramona Boulevard Elementary School - Latina Brewer
Reynolds Lane Elementary - Allison Warnock
Richard Lewis Brown GIfted & Academically Talented Academy - Jameea Jackson-Gaines
River City Science Academy - Jessie Crews
River City Science Academy at Mandarin - Kerry Billingsley
River City Science Academy Elementary - Nicole Spanbauer
River City Science Academy Innovation - Erica Leatherbarrow
Robert E. Lee High School - Lindsay Jones
Rufus E. Payne Elementary School - Evelyn Garland
Ruth N. Upson Elementary School - Sara Dean
Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary - Melanie Jackson
Sabal Palm Elementary - Maryjane Cassette
Sadie T. Tillis Elementary School - Stephanie Scannapieco
Sallye B. Mathis Elementary - Devin Moore
Samuel A. Hull Elementary - Kory Von Leue
Samuel Wolfson School for Advanced Studies - Brandi Benga
San Jose Elementary - Leah Teuschel
San Jose Prep - Kari O'Connor
San Jose Primary - Lisa Herring
San Mateo Elementary - Erica Franklin
San Pablo Elementary School - Heather Ledford
Sandalwood High School - Emily Louis
Seabreeze Elementary - Casey Kyne
Smart Pope Livingston Elementary School - Laronya Finn
Somerset Academy Eagle Campus - Sabrina Martinez
Somerset Academy Eagle Campus - Karen Cleare
Southside Estates Elementary School - Katy Lambert
Southside Middle School - Nadine Ebri
Spring Park Elementary - Chelsea Ragan
Stanton College Preparatory School - Amanda Hohne
Stonewall Jackson Elementary School - Leah O'Connor
Terry Parker High School - Rebecca LaMance
Susie E Tolbert Elementary - Ta'Nee Rogers
The Bridge to Success Academy at West Jacksonville - Andrew Goldberg
The Bridge to Success Academy at West Jacksonville (High) - Richanda Fudge
The LEADERSHIP Academy - Takita Williams
Thomas Jefferson Elementary - Michele Foerman
Tiger Academy - Jasmine Butler
Timucuan Elementary - Erica Robinson
Twin Lakes Academy Elementary - Anthony Catamas
Twin Lakes Academy Middle School - Sequan Curry
Venetia Elementary - Shannon Miller
Waterleaf Elementary - Kimberly Vilagi
Waverly Academy - Hailey Molloy
Wayman Academy of the Arts - Juliette Hammonds
West Riverside Elementary - Gabriella Solano
Westside High School - Nicole Richmond
Westview PreK-8 - Brittiany Smalls
Whitehouse Elementary – Nancy Lucas
William M. Raines High School - Shayla Baylock
Windy Hill Elementary School - Sheila Cullum
Woodland Acres Elementary - Tamara Halyard