Fort Mill names its Teacher of the Year ahead of student return on Monday

John Marks
·2 min read

A middle school language arts teacher and a district technology pro were honored by the Fort Mill School District on Tuesday as among the best in the district.

Lindsay Weaver is the district’s new Teacher of the Year. Weaver teaches English and language arts at Gold Hill Middle School. Weaver was announced from a list of five honor roll teachers at a conference at Catawba Ridge High School, that brought back teachers from across 20 district schools and support areas ahead of students returning Aug. 21.

Weaver will serve in a liaison role between teachers and administrators for the coming year. Weaver also gets a vehicle to drive for a year from Stateline Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram. The announcement is a switch for the district, which traditionally names its teacher of year later during the school year. Several other area districts announce theirs at the start of the year during convocations or similar events.

Along with a teacher, the Fort Mill district annually tabs a Support Staff Member of the Year. On Tuesday that honor went to Cindy Ormseth. She is a computer tech engineer with the district office. The support staff winner comes each year from a variety of eligible roles from maintenance to school nurses, transportation, district office workers and more.

Fort Mill projects to start the coming school year with more than 18,000 students in 20 schools. The district in recent years surpassed Rock Hill as the district with the most students in York County.

Fort Mill has three schools under an enrollment freeze, and a close eye on another

Richard Eppes, principal at Gold Hill Middle School, called Weaver the heart and soul of the school who has grown into a master teacher during her full career at the school. In the same video, Weaver talks about connecting with students and growing relationships as she teaches.

“They may not remember everything that they learned in my class, all the academics, but they will remember the impact that I have with them is what drives me,” Weaver said.