Gaston County Schools names top teacher, principal of the year

Beatriz Guerrero, The Gaston Gazette
·3 min read
Gaston County Schools recognized the top educators of the year. From left to right: Aimee Tolleson was named Assistant Principal of the Year, Steven Loudon was named Teacher of the Year, Kristin Kiser was named Principal of the Year and Angela Calamia was named Central Office Administrator of the Year.
Gaston County Schools recognized the top educators of the year. From left to right: Aimee Tolleson was named Assistant Principal of the Year, Steven Loudon was named Teacher of the Year, Kristin Kiser was named Principal of the Year and Angela Calamia was named Central Office Administrator of the Year.

Gaston County Schools has announced its top teacher and principal of the year.

Steven Loudon from W.C. Friday Middle School in Dallas was named Teacher of the Year.

Kristin Kiser from Lowell Elementary School in Lowell was named the 2022-23 Principal of the Year.

Steven Loudon, from W.C. Friday Middle School, in Dallas, was named the 2022-23 Teacher of the Year.
Steven Loudon, from W.C. Friday Middle School, in Dallas, was named the 2022-23 Teacher of the Year.

"We congratulate the award recipients and applaud all educators in Gaston County Schools for what they do every day to support children and encourage them to learn, achieve, and thrive,” said Gaston County School's Superintendent Jeffrey Booker.

Loudon has been an educator for 15 years, having taught at Pinewood Elementary for seven years, prior to his current position.

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He teaches seventh grade math at W.C. Friday Middle.

Loudon holds a bachelor's degree in biblical studies and youth ministry from Emmaus Bible College in Iowa, and a master's degree in elementary education and school administration from UNC Charlotte.

Kristin Kiser, from Lowell Elementary School, in Lowell, was named the 2022-23 Principal of the Year.
Kristin Kiser, from Lowell Elementary School, in Lowell, was named the 2022-23 Principal of the Year.

Kiser came to Gaston County in 2002, after teaching in South Carolina. She began her teaching career in Waynesville after obtaining a bachelor's degree in elementary education at Western Carolina University and a master's degree in remediation/elementary education from Francis Marion University in South Carolina.

She holds a second master's degree in educational leadership from Winthrop University in South Carolina and has previously served as principal at Bessemer City Primary, Pinewood Elementary and Rankin Elementary.

Loudon and Kiser each received $1,250 to use for their professional advancement.

Additionally, both educators will represent Gaston County Schools in the regional competitions for 2022-23.

Other award winners

Aimee Tolleson from South Point High School, in Belmont, was named the 2022-23 Assistant Principal of the Year.
Aimee Tolleson from South Point High School, in Belmont, was named the 2022-23 Assistant Principal of the Year.

Gaston County Schools also named the assistant principal and central office administrator of the year during a ceremony at the Gaston Country Club. New Teacher of the Year will be announced on Tuesday, May 24.

Aimee Tolleson from South Point High School in Belmont was named Assistant Principal of the Year.

Tolleson joined Gaston County Schools in 2018. She started her career in education as an English teacher in Columbia, South Carolina, and later taught for the Granbury Independent School District in Texas, where she also served as a reading and math intervention instructional specialist and dean of instruction.

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Tolleson earned a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education from the University of South Carolina and obtained a master’s degree in educational administration from Tarleton State University in Texas.

Angela Calamia, director of school nutrition, was named 2022-23 Central Office Administrator of the Year.
Angela Calamia, director of school nutrition, was named 2022-23 Central Office Administrator of the Year.

Angela Calamia, director of school nutrition, was named Central Office Administrator of the Year. Calamia joined Gaston County Schools in 2018 after serving as a nutritionist and director of school nutrition operations for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She holds an associate degree in food processing technology and a bachelor’s degree in clinical and general management dietetics from the State University of New York as well as a master’s degree in clinical dietetics from the New York Institute of Technology.

Before moving to North Carolina, she worked as the director of nutritional services at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in New York.

Beatriz Guerrero can be reached at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter@BeatrizGue_.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County Schools names top teacher, principal of the year