By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

ALABASTER – Shelby County Schools hosted an award ceremony on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 12 to recognize the 2024 Shelby County Schools Teachers of the Year.

Teachers and staff from Shelby County Schools gathered for a night of celebration at the Shelby County Instructional Services Center in Alabaster at 5:30 p.m.

The emcee of the event, Bethany Ivey, who serves as the director of the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation, kicked off the night with a welcome, followed by remarks from two representatives of AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company, the main sponsors of the event.

Before the awards were presented, a heartwarming video played in which every teacher nominated for an award talked about their love for teaching and the kids they serve.

A total of 32 teachers across the Shelby County Schools system were recognized at the ceremony, and the teachers were broken down into three categories: Elementary School Teachers of the Year, Middle School Teachers of the Year and High School Teachers of the Year. Out of those honored, 15 teachers were recognized as Elementary School Teachers of the Year, seven teachers were recognized as Middle School Teachers of the Year and 10 teachers were recognized as High School Teachers of the Year.

The following teachers were selected by their respective schools as Elementary School Teachers of the Year:

• Heather Ozment – Calera Elementary
• Sarah Freeman – Calera Intermediate
• Jessica Galamore – Chelsea Park Elementary
• Ashlee Rene Cole – Elvin Hill Elementary
• Mackenzie Wilkinson – Forest Oaks Elementary
• Megan Anglin – Helena Elementary
• Bridgett Cox – Helena Intermediate
• Jessica Bush – Inverness Elementary
• Sadie Kinlecheenie – Montevallo Elementary
• Allison Gulock – Mt. Laurel Elementary
• Peyton Cannon – Oak Mountain Elementary
• Jennifer Colburn – Oak Mountain Intermediate
• Kaleigh Lamar – Shelby Elementary
• Melissa Smith – Vincent Elementary
• Cayla Weber – Wilsonville Elementary

The following teachers were selected by their respective schools as Middle School Teachers of the Year:

• Sarah Dennis – Calera Middle
• William Fannin – Chelsea Middle
• Shelby Kendrick – Columbiana Middle
• Christine L. Hoffman – Helena Middle
• Wanda Young-Lowe – Montevallo Middle
• Grace Riddle – Oak Mountain Middle
• Brittany Wills – Vincent Middle

The following teachers were selected by their respective schools as High School Teachers of the Year:

• Rachel Roberts – Calera High
• Mark McCary – CTEC
• Andrea G. Maddox, BSN, RN – Chelsea High
• Austin B. Jordan – Helena High
• Sarah Cole – Linda Nolen Learning Center
• Rylee Holt – Montevallo High
• Samantha Englebert – Success Program
• Susan Schwartz – Oak Mountain High
• Karlee Merrell – Shelby County High
• Alison Fleming – Vincent High

Out of the pools of winners for Teachers of the Year, three were selected as Elementary School Teacher of the Year, Middle School Teacher of the Year and High School Teacher of the Year. Before these awards were presented, Dr. Lewis Brooks, superintendent of Shelby County Schools, gave his remarks.

“No one can inspire us as well as a great teacher,” Brooks said. “They seem to come along in the right moment at the right time when we need them the most. Great teachers show us things about ourselves that we can’t see. In spite of all this, teaching can sometimes be a relatively thankless job. No matter where you live and work, teachers share the same struggles and triumphs in so many respects. The passion for teaching and learning is universal, and it is a common language that binds cultures, beliefs and attitudes under one umbrella, the umbrella of love.”

After Brooks’s remarks, the final awards were presented. Megan Anglin of Helena Elementary won Elementary School Teacher of the Year. In the introductory video at the beginning of the ceremony, Anglin gave remarks on the power of teaching.

“It is a privilege to be able to teach someone’s whole world,” Anglin said. “Just for me to be able to spread a little bit of magic into their day, it’s the best.”

Dr. Wanda Young-Lowe of Montevallo Middle won Middle School Teacher of the Year. She also gave her remarks on her job and the recognition associated with it.

“It is humbling. It gives me a lot of joy and gratitude to know that my efforts, what I do in the classroom, have been recognized by my colleagues,” Young-Lowe said. “The support that I receive from the students, the administration, the faculty, the staff and even their parents, has been overwhelming. And it just makes me realize that we’re all on this journey together.”

Finally, Rylee Holt of Montevallo High won High School Teacher of the Year. In her excerpt of the video, Holt chose to focus on Montevallo High as a whole.

“There’s a lot of beauty here and a lot of potential here,” Holt said. “And I feel sometimes that is overlooked, and I don’t want my students to be overlooked. Or the teachers here, because people here are doing amazing things.”

Included in the pamphlet of this year’s celebration was a Japanese proverb that reads “Better than 1,000 days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

Brooks expressed his gratitude to all of the teachers in attendance.

“Thank you for believing in yourselves and in your learners and never giving up,” Brooks said. “Thank you for your laughter, your tears and your humanity. Thank you for being you.”