Pictured L to R:  Superintendent Carlene Anderson, Teacher of the Year Carla Griffith, and Freeport High School Principal Tripp Hope

Teacher/Support Professional of the Year honored

By Ron Kelley

   The Walton County Education Association (WCEA) and the Walton County School District (WCSD) gathered Thursday evening January 22, 2015 to honor the 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year and Exceptional Support Professional of the Year. The event was held at the Walton High School Auditorium before a crowd of family and friends of the nominees.

   Tracy Nick and Dixie Burge, representing the WCEA, were joined by the WCSD to honor the site winners. They introduced the nominees, which had been chosen by the staff and faculty at each Walton County school and District office where the nominees are employed.

   Superintendent of Schools Carlene Anderson gave the keynote speech and encouraged the nominees to continue to “Be Awesome!” School Board members Jason Catalano, Bill Eddins Jr., Kim Kirby and Gail Smith also attended the ceremony.

   Teacher of the Year nominees were Erica Bolton, Lori Daniel, Drew Geoghagen, Carla Griffith, Stacy Leddon, Nate Moore, Vivian Moreira-Komando, Trecia Meadows, Erin Ray, Kristen Rhodes, Jeanna Meyer, Rhonda Messer, Laurel Sink, Lisa Trodd, Amy Wilson and Capri Zodrow.

   Exceptional Support Professional nominees were Lisa Crabtree, Gail Fannin, Andrew Farris, James Gentry, Johnny Goodman, Glenda Graham, Donna Ives, Martha Jackson, Barbara Moore, Mary Beth Nolan, Kimi Parken, Lisa Pitts, Johanna Price, Ann Sexton, Linda Slay, Barbara Truett, Cody Rothgeb and Jim Williams.

   And the winners are …

   The 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year is Carla Griffith of Freeport High School. The 2014-2015 Support Professional of the Year is Carol Rothgeb of the Emerald Coast Technical College (formerly Walton Career Development Center).

   Following the ceremony, a catered reception by McLain’s Family Steakhouse was held in the school cafeteria.

Van R. Butler teachers learning ways to integrate technology through the use of mini-ipads for classroom instruction.

Skylar, a 10^th grade student has achieved a first for Walton County School District!   She is enrolled in the Administrative Office Specialist Program at Emerald Coast Technical College and has been achieving industry certifications since she started her program in 2013.  Her certifications include IC3 /GS4 , Microsoft Specialist for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. 

Recently she passed a second Microsoft Expert Exam (Word and Excel) to qualify her as Microsoft Office Master.  The Certifications she has achieved are transferable to college credits and give her a huge advantage in her resume. 

Skylar has been using her talents for projects, assignments and sharing her application skills with others at home and where she volunteers. 

Congratulations to Skylar!  This is a huge accomplishment.