Cullman city schools name teachers of the year

Patrick Camp, The Cullman Times, Ala.
Updated ·3 min read

Jan. 24—After hazardous road conditions postponed its monthly meeting last week, the Cullman City Board of Education wasted no time Tuesday, Jan. 23, in recognizing the district's top two educators for the 2023-school year.

Last month, each of the district's five campuses named their respective Teacher of the Year who were awarded a $1,000 stipend from the board during its December meeting. The teachers mentioned last month were:

Susan

* Sharpe from Cullman City Primary School

Leeanna

* Smith from East Elementary School

Miranda

* Gunter from West Elementary School

Cassie

* Bowen from Cullman Middle School

David

* Benefield from Cullman High School

Each of the five educators were considered for the two-part Cullman City Teacher of the Year award. The district selects one elementary and one secondary education instructor to receive the award.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff announced Bowen — who in addition to her regular teaching duties works as a dyslexia interventionist and English Language instructor at CMS — as the Secondary Education Teacher of the Year and Gunter as the district's Elementary Education Teacher of the Year.

Both Bowen and Gunter will now enter the running for the Alabama Teacher of the Year award.

"Congratulations to both of you and good luck. You guys know your next step and I'm excited to see where we go from there," Kallhoff said.

The Cullman city school district have been represented in the Top 16 finalists for the state award for the past two years.

Kallhoff also announced that pre-registration for the Alabama First Class pre-K program for the 2024-25 school year had opened. Eligible children must live with the Cullman City limits, are fully toilet-trained and are four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2024.

Students will be taught by a certified teacher following a kindergarten readiness curriculum to create a smoother transition to kindergarten. Upon acceptance into the program students will be required to submit an Alabama immunization from before classes begin.

For more information visit children.alabama.gov/for-families/first-class-pre-k/first-class-pre-k-pre-registration/.

In other business the board:

* Approved a contract with Miracle Corley as a tutoring aide.

Approved

* a stipend to the CCPS Leadership Team for Parent Night on Jan. 23 for the following teacher: Krista Johnson, Blakely Burns, Cortney Peed, Amanda Stidham, Carrie Byrd, Hillary Nix, Caroline Tidmore, Tera Thomas, Marci Watts, April Jochum, Jennifer Helton, Jane Ann Chambers, Mary Beth Cleveland, Hannah Hunt.

* Approved the Cullman High School Varsity softball team to travel to Murphreesboro, Ten. from March 25-26 to compete in the Southern Warrior Classic.

* Approved the Cullman High School Band to travel to Orlando, Fla. from Nov. 9-13 to perform in the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Walt Disney World.

Approved

* for the Cullman High School Jazz Band to travel to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. from April 5-6 to perform at The Island.

Authorized a

* pre-K and Kindergarten "Camp" at CCPS on Aug. 7-8.

Approved

* for Cullman High School to salvage a Dell Precision T1700 computer.

Accepted the fol

* lowing resignations: Amber Gay — Special Education Instructional Assistant at CCPS, Dori Beach — Special Education Instructional Assistant at West Elementary School, Ashley Morris — Career Technical Education Marketing Teacher, Bailey Gamble — Extended Day Program Aide at CCPS, Katelyn Quigg — Instructional Assistant at Cullman High School.

* Approved the conditional employment of Samantha "Autumn" Botkin as a full-time substitute.