Teachers of the Year named for 2020
The winners for Shelby County Teacher of the Year were announced during the Dec. 15 Shelby County Board of Education meeting. The awards were presented by the Shelby County Board of Education and the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation.
Superintendent Lewis Brooks said it was his great honor and pleasure to recognize them.
“We are very proud of all of our teachers and excited they are being recognized today,” he said.
The top three winners were: Sara Patrick, a third-grade math and science teacher from Calera Elementary School; Melanie Elliott, a seventh-grade accelerated math teacher from Chelsea Middle School; and Celia Dozier, a biomedical science teacher from the Career Technical Educational Center (CTEC).
Patrick has been teaching for six years, the past four of which have been at Calera Intermediate School. In addition to her teaching duties, she also works in the After School Care Program at CaIS. Last school year, she helped plan the Family Fun Night and the CaIS pageant. She is currently participating in a cohort at the University of Montevallo pursuing her National Board Certification.
Other School Teacher of the Year Winners – Elementary Level were:
- Calera Elementary – Kristi Brooks
- Chelsea Park Elementary – Jennifer Martinez
- Elvin Hill Elementary – Shanna Petty
- Forest Oaks Elementary – Mari Newton
- Helena Elementary – Meghan Handley
- Helena Intermediate – Kaitlin McGuirk
- Inverness Elementary – Mauri Crisler
- Linda Nolen Learning Center – Staci Egan
- Montevallo Elementary – Kamie Jones
- Mt Laurel Elementary – Heather Braswell
- Oak Mountain Elementary – Melanie Fitzmorris
- Oak Mountain Intermediate – Kimberly Ethridge
- Shelby Elementary – Kaleigh Lamar
- Vincent Elementary – Ginger Forsythe
- Wilsonville Elementary – Tiffany Collins
Melanie Elliott, a seventh-grade accelerated math teacher from Chelsea Middle School, was the 2020 Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Elliott has been teaching for 26 years. She has served 16 years with Shelby County Schools, including the past 10 years at Chelsea Middle. She is the sponsor of the seventh-grade math team, the coordinator of the seventh- grade awards day, and coordinator of the school mentors. She also serves on the school’s Continuous School Improvement Team.
Other School Teacher of the Year Winners – Middle Level were:
- Calera Middle – Nina Frazier
- Columbiana Middle – Brad McClaran
- Helena Middle – Chad Sorrells
- Montevallo Middle – Matthew Williams
- Oak Mountain Middle – Carla Higginbotham
Celia Dozier, the biomedical science teacher from the Career Technical Educational Center (CTEC), was named the 2020 High School Teacher of the Year.
Dozier has been teaching in Shelby County for three years. She taught biology and forensics at Helena High School for two years before becoming the biomedical science teacher at CTEC this school year. She serves as the HOSA (Future Health Professionals) advisor and as a Summer School ACCESS teacher. She also serves on the school’s budget committee and instructional leadership team. Each summer, she creates and teaches a science curriculum at Samford University through Gear Up to students from the Birmingham City School District. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has also volunteered as a tutor for virtual students in inner-city schools.
School Teacher of the Year Winners – High School Level
- Calera High – Tamika Whitt-Wright
- Chelsea High – Ashley Stuckey
- Helena High – Anita Lewis
- Montevallo High – Jessica Gothard
- New Direction – Mary E. Woolard
- Oak Mountain High – Danny DuBose
- Shelby County High – Marisol Lilly
- Vincent Middle High – CSM Mary L. Kyser
In other business:
- A bid was approved for a riding mower for the maintenance department to Columbiana Tractor for $8,600.
- Sasha Baker was named principal of Helena Intermediate School
- Assistant Superintendent of Operations, David Calhoun, discussed new paving and repairs for six of the county schools. The lowest bid was from Norris Paving in the amount of $1,706,700.
The first semester ends this Thursday, Dec. 17 for students and Friday, Dec. 18 for teachers. The second semester will begin Jan. 11 for teachers and Jan. 12 for students.
The next board meeting will be held on Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. at the Central Office in Columbiana.