Shelby County Chamber honors Students and Educators of the Year

Published 11:58 am Monday, May 5, 2025

By Dave Domescik

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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Shelby County Chamber held a luncheon on Wednesday, April 30 honoring outstanding educators and students within Shelby County, with multiple school systems represented at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena.

The 2024-2025 Student & Educator of the Year awards brought together faculty and students from the dozens of schools spread throughout Shelby County in a day celebrating the power of education. The event, presented by AmFirst, was co-sponsored by the University of Montevallo and Alabama Credit Union.

Kevin Morris, the 2025 board chair of The Shelby County Chamber, expressed his excitement for the event in his opening remarks.

“It is a great day to be in Shelby County,” Morris said. “I’m encouraged by the young talent in this room. It is exciting for this county.”

Morris also serves as the president and CEO of AmFirst, and outlined how the company has poured back into education in Shelby County.

“In the past decade, our company has reinvested almost half a million dollars in scholarships to local students, local educators, career tech facilities, two-year colleges and also the University of Montevallo,” Morris said. “We believe we can make the areas that we support better by giving people different opportunities to learn at different levels.”

Morris then turned it over to Cami Hammond, the community and career development manager with the Shelby County Chamber. Hammond presented all of the honorees and awards at the luncheon.

The following teachers were nominated for Elementary School Educator of the Year:

 

  • Heather Ozment—Calera Elementary School
  • Sarah Freeman—Calera Intermediate School
  • Jessica Galamore—Chelsea Park Elementary School
  • Morgan Quisenberry—Creek View Elementary School
  • Ashlee Cole—Elvin Hill Elementary School
  • Mackenzie Wilkinson—Forest Oaks Elementary School
  • Megan Anglin—Helena Elementary School
  • Whitney Jackson—Helena Intermediate School
  • Caroline Rose—Inverness Elementary School
  • Olivia Cushing—Meadow View Elementary School
  • Sadie Kinlecheenie—Montevallo Elementary School
  • Allison Gulock—Mt. Laurel Elementary School
  • Peyton Cannon—Oak Mountain Elementary School
  • Jennifer Colburn—Oak Mountain Intermediate School
  • Jackson Vaughan—Pelham Oaks Elementary School
  • Savannah Fisher—Pelham Ridge Elementary School
  • Kaleigh Lamar—Shelby Elementary School
  • Christy O’Dell—Thompson Intermediate School
  • Melissa Smith—Vincent Elementary School
  • Cayla Weber—Wilsonville Elementary School

The following teachers were nominated for Middle School Educator of the Year:

 

  • Sarah Dennis—Calera Middle School
  • Ira Fannin—Chelsea Middle School
  • Shelby Kendrick—Columbiana Middle School
  • Christine Hoffman—Helena Middle School
  • Sarah Cole—Linda Nolan Learning Center
  • Wanda Young-Lowe—Montevallo Middle School
  • Grace Riddle—Oak Mountain Middle School
  • Trey Clark—Pelham Park Middle School
  • Kim Miranda—Thompson Middle School
  • Brittany Wills—Vincent Middle High School

The following teachers were nominated for High School Educator of the Year:

 

  • Dawn Sumerford—Briarwood Christian School
  • Rachel Roberts—Calera High School
  • Ashley Stuckey—Chelsea High School
  • Austin Jordan—Helena High School
  • Rylee Holt—Montevallo High School
  • Susan Schwartz—Oak Mountain High School
  • Katie Travis—Pelham High School
  • Mark McCary—Shelby County Career and Technical Education Center
  • Karlee Merrell—Shelby County High School
  • Avery Horton—Thompson High School
  • Alison Fleming—Vincent Middle High School

Eligible students were grouped into two categories: Career Tech Standout and Distinguished Student Standout. The following students were nominated for Career Tech Standout of the Year:

 

  • Eli Slaton—Briarwood Christian School
  • Olivia Holt—Calera High School
  • Halie Chance—Chelsea High School
  • Anna Grace Johnson—Helena High School
  • John Charles Baggett—Montevallo High School
  • Brandon Jones—Oak Mountain High School
  • Edwin Hernandez—Pelham High School
  • James Ledbetter—Shelby County High School
  • Javier Soto-Balcarcel—Thompson High School
  • Ja’Kalynn McGinnis—Vincent High School

The following students were nominated for Distinguished Student Standout of the Year:

 

  • Ian Robertson—Briarwood Christian School
  • Lily Townsend—Calera High School
  • Chloe Anderson—Chelsea High School
  • Lindsay Etheridge—Helena High School
  • Yan Zou—Montevallo High School
  • Sophia Kwon—Oak Mountain High School
  • Camdyn Martin—Pelham High School
  • Davis Junkin—Shelby County Career and Technical Education Center
  • Diana Ortiz—Shelby County Career and Technical Education Center
  • Mallory Venable—Shelby County High School
  • Nina Lin—Thompson High School
  • Connor Buchanan—Vincent High School

In addition to a framed certificate, each of the award recipients also received a cash award in the form of a check. Each recipient also received a $50 gift card to T. Fox SalonSpa. For the student recipients, the funds were intended to be used to continue their education and career development. Teachers, meanwhile, were encouraged to use the funds as they saw fit for their classrooms.

“Our panel of judges who reviewed the information had an extremely challenging time choosing the recipients in each category,” Hammond said. “That’s a true indication of the excellence that we have right here in Shelby County classrooms.”

The following individuals won each of the awards presented at the luncheon. The student awards had two recipients, with an additional Future Leader of the Year award winner selected from all of the student nominees:

 

  • Savannah Fisher—Elementary School Educator of the Year
  • Ira Fannin—Middle School Educator of the Year
  • Dawn Sumerford—High School Educator of the Year
  • Javier Soto-Balcarcel—Career Tech Standout of the Year
  • James Ledbetter—Career Tech Standout of the Year
  • Camdyn Martin—Distinguished Student Standout of the Year
  • Davis Junkin—Distinguished Student Standout of the Year
  • Yan Zou—Future Leader of the Year

For more information on The Shelby County Chamber, visit Shelbychamber.org.

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