The Lowndes County School District board of trustees Friday recognized a teacher, administrator and parent, for their indefatigable, meaningful service, in its annual award ceremony.
“This is the cream of the crop,” LCSD Vocational Director Percy Lee said, referring to the candidates for the Teacher of the Year award, which went to Rebecca McCraw of Caledonia Middle School.
“As a colleague, Mrs. McCraw is encouraging, supportive and a great resource to other teachers,” Kelly Hollowell, a math teacher at CMS, wrote of McCraw, in a letter nominating her for the award. “She consistently strives to uplift and support her fellow teachers in every way possible. Her enthusiasm and passion for teaching is contagious and evident in everything she does.
“Mrs. McCraw”s passion for teaching is not only evident to her colleagues, but her students as well,” she continued. “Her deep knowledge of content, as well as creative and innovative teaching strategies truly makes a difference in the lives of the students she teaches.”
Joe York of New Hope Elementary School was named as the administrator of the year.
York is a “tireless worker (who is) never content until things are planned and the plans are carried out,” Lee said.
“Many improvements have been made since Mr. York took the reins of this large school,” Bobbi Vaughn, LCSD elementary coordinator, who has worked with York for 10 years, wrote in her nominating letter. “I think the most prominent one has been that he has brought in a new era of teacher accountability, whereby all teachers are aware of his high expectations, because they are plainly communicated to them.
“The ability to recognize and utilize the expertise of others, while not having your authority threatened by it is indeed the mark of a great administrator,” she added. “Lowndes County School District is fortunate to have Mr. York as a principal in our district and we are very happy to have him represent our district as our administrator of the year.”
Noting “parental involvement is most critical to their success,” Vaughn presented Dawn Whittington, of New Hope Elementary School, with the Parent of the Year award.
Among her other volunteer activities, Whittington was instrumental in the creation of the Cadence Bank Art Gallery in the foyer of the kindergarten through third-grade building of New Hope Elementary School.
“We love our school and we love our children and the administration,” Whittington said.
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