Who will be Teacher of the Year for Muscogee County schools? These are the nominees
The 55 nominees for the Muscogee County School District 2024 Teacher of the Year award were announced Wednesday.
During the ceremony at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in downtown Columbus, MCSD officials and Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation board members honored the nominees. The foundation runs the school district’s Teacher of the Year program.
MEEF chairman Josh Reynolds said in a news release that the nominees are “making a profound difference in the lives of MCSD students, leaving an indelible mark on our community. Their unparalleled passion and dedication to education are reshaping the world.”
The faculty at each MCSD school may nominate one teacher to represent their school and compete for the district’s Teacher of the Year award. MEEF’s selection committee, comprising community leaders, evaluates the applications and chooses 10 semifinalists to interview. Committee members pick three finalists to observe in their classroom. The winner is announced during the foundation’s annual gala.
This year’s gala will be May 9 in the Columbus Convention & Trade Center, starting with the reception at 6 p.m., then the dinner and program at 6:45 p.m. The $55 tickets will be on sale at the RiverCenter box office, starting March 11.
MCSD superintendent David Lewis told the nominees their honor indicates they have performed at the highest level of the education profession.
“You exemplify the very high standards of the profession,” he said, “and the fact that you were selected by your peers is even more significant.”
Lewis also lauded the foundation for running the school district’s Teacher of the Year program.
“This is very atypical,” he said. “If you’ve not worked in other districts, I can assure you this is rare to have this kind of organization that supports and recognizes excellence in the field of teaching.”
MEEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence and honoring teachers who are innovative and exceptionally effective in the public schools of Columbus. In its 28-year history, the foundation has awarded more than $3.1 million to such educators through the Teacher of the Year and Harvard Fellows programs, as well as grants.
Special relationship
Two of the nominees, Britt David Magnet Academy first-grade teacher Nicole Hodge and Gentian Elementary School second-grade teacher Tasca Blanding, have an unusual connection. Blanding was Hodge’s fourth-grade teacher at Waddell Elementary School. They also were colleagues at Waddell during Hodge’s first year teaching.
So to be MCSD Teacher of the Year nominees the same year, Blanding told the L-E, “just made it so much more special.”
Hodge, now in her fifth year teaching, said, “It’s really sweet, especially now that we have even more history, being coworkers and just good friends. She’s been a great mentor, so it’s just kind of a full-circle moment.”
Whether it was checking in to offer help with planning or just going out socially, Hodge is grateful for Blanding’s support.
“No matter how much preparation goes into it, you don’t truly know what to expect until you’re in the classroom as a teacher,” Hodge said. “So it’s just nice having current teachers help you through it.”
Blanding, in her 20th year teaching, recalled being mighty impressed by Hodge when she was one of her fourth-grade students.
“I just remember knowing she was going to be a rock star,” Blanding said. “She was always respectful and responsible, and she had amazing familial support, so I knew she was going to find success.”
Hodge described what it was like to be taught by Blanding.
“She was just incredibly kind, very gentle,” Hodge said. “… She just really cared about each of her students, and you knew that when you walked in her class every day.”
Blanding also recalled seeing Hodge teach her kindergarten class at Waddell.
“She has a rapport with the students, and she’s really concerned with are these students retaining the information that I’m presenting,” Blanding said. “It’s just in her heart to be a teacher. … She is amazing, and I know she will continue to do amazing things.”
And they continue to love teaching because of the positive impact they can have on their students.
“It’s definitely the relationships,” Hodge said. “You have to fall back on that because it’s so challenging otherwise.”
Blanding said, “Teaching is a calling. It’s a passion.”
MCSD 2024 Teacher of the Year nominees
Elementary schools
Allen: Karie Tillett
Blanchard: Katie Buckley
Brewer: Roger Redden
Britt David: Nicole Hodge
Clubview: Meridith Hemmings
Davis: Robyn Robinson
Dawson: Stacey Keith
Dimon: Brent Sutherland
Dorothy Height: Amber Jackson
Double Churches: Amber Mays
Downtown: Julie Jackson
Eagle Ridge: Chelsea Pevitt
Forrest Road: Thneashia Crawl
Fox: Rachael Weaver
Gentian: Tasca Blanding
Georgetown: Breuna Hill
Hannan: Barbara Madrie-Poindexter
Johnson: Crystal Coulter
Key: Kimberly Brown
Lonnie Jackson: Ebony Hill
Martin Luther King Jr.: Jazzlyne Jackson
Mathews: Kyle Allen
Midland: Jocelyn Dial
North Columbus: Suzanne Tabor
Reese Road: LeMandria Flakes
Rigdon Road: Marianne Jordan
River Road: Donessa Moore
South Columbus: Christina Joiner
St. Marys Road: Denise Toney
Waddell: Shardae Griggs
Wesley Heights: Christie Ivory
Wynnton: Stacey McClary
Middle schools
Aaron Cohn: TaKesha Williams-Lynn
Arnold: James Barnes
Baker: Jonas Lonzanida
Blackmon Road: Timothy Downes
Double Churches: Lakia Slater
East Columbus: Kewanna Taylor
Eddy: Lauren Stanford
Fort: Michelle Atcheson
Midland: Brian Hale
Richards: Daniel Purvis
Rothschild: Les Cole
Veterans Memorial: Jay Wilson
High schools
Carver: Tamela Ransom
Columbus: Lisa Mills
Hardaway: Joshua Alsup
Jordan: Cherine Cobb
Kendrick: Kelly Coney
Northside: Christy Akers
Shaw: Stephanie Davidson
Spencer: Dexter Smith
Other schools
Marshall Success Center: Tonya Euell
Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts: Annette Gebhardt
St. Elmo Center for the Gifted: Vicki Hendrix
Selection committee
Josh Reynolds (chairman), TSYS/Global Payments
Vanessa Ellis, 2022 MCSD Teacher of the Year
Michael Grayden, Synovus
Sheryl Green, 2015 MCSD Teacher of the Year
Ken Henson, attorney and real estate developer
John Dale Hester, Columbus United
Marquette McKnight, MEEF executive director
Gina Smith, Coldwell Banker KPDD
Ty Webb, W.C. Bradley Company
