Volusia/Flagler Teacher of the Year awards are around the corner; here are the nominees

Many Volusia County Schools and Flagler County Schools teachers are up for this year's top educators awards, and announcements are just around the corner in January.

Flagler County will honor a District Teacher of the Year and Employee of the Year on Jan. 18. Volusia County will announce the District Teacher of the Year at a banquet hosted by the FUTURES Foundation on Jan. 20.

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Volusia has five teacher finalists

Volusia County Schools has narrowed down its nominees from all schools to just five Teacher of the Year finalists:

• Dodi Gaines, facilitator Cambridge AICE, Seabreeze High School.

• Tamika Harvard, math coach, Westside Elementary School.

• Valerie Marcus, fifth-grade teacher, DeBary Elementary School.

• Vonda Morris, probability and statistics/AP statistics teacher, Spruce Creek High School.

• Cassandra Stewart, media specialist, R.J. Longstreet Elementary School.

Each school nominates a teacher, and a winner is selected through an application process. A committee of parents, business owners, community members, teachers and administrators selected the finalists. Another sub-committee will observe the finalists in their classrooms and conduct individual interviews before ranking the nominees.

The 2024 VCS Teacher of the Year will represent the district for the state and be nominated for the state's Teacher of the Year program. The winner will be announced at a celebration on Friday, Jan. 20, in Daytona Beach sponsored by AdventHealth and open only to invitees.

The 2023 District Teacher of the Year, Madison Miller, was an academic coach at Chisholm Elementary and is now assistant principal at Palm Terrace Elementary.

Last year's Florida Teacher of the Year, Melissa Matz of Clay County, will speak at the celebration in Volusia County, the FUTURES Foundation announced on social media.

Bob Davis, president of the Hotel and Lodging Association of Volusia County, will give the five finalists certificates for a three-day, two-night stay at local hotels, he told The News-Journal.

Here are the remainder of the 69 school nominees:

• Wendy Jefferies, Highbanks Learning Center.

• Glenda Carreira, Atlantic High.

• Kelsi Quicksall-Jones, Beachside Elementary.

• Cecilia D. Helton, Blue Lake Elementary.

• Jennifer N. Mills, Campbell Middle School.

• Tiffany Warren, Champion Elementary.

• Allaina Dixon, Chisholm Elementary.

• Wendy Lynn Fontaine, Citrus Grove Elementary.

• Jennifer Scalo, Coronado Beach Elementary.

• Aaron Shank, Creekside Middle School.

• Michelle Deibler, Cypress Creek Elementary.

• Michelle Lyle Bishop, DeLand High.

• Heather Robinson, DeLand Middle School.

• Kristy Garthwaite, Deltona High School.

• Heather Mooney, Deltona Lakes Elementary.

• Cecilia C.M. Lott, Deltona Middle School.

• Dominique A. Clark, Discovery Elementary.

• Jessica VanderMeulen, Edgewater Public School.

• Natalie Maynard, Enterprise Elementary.

• Erica Jeria, Forest Lake Elementary.

• Angie Vogelzang, Freedom Elementary.

• Robin Shank, Friendship Elementary.

• Jacqueline Drescher, Galaxy Middle School.

• Margaret Tambini, George W. Marks Elementary.

• Joshua Jordan, Heritage Middle School.

• Akrisza Kemp-Brown, David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School.

• Charlise Robinson, Holly Hill School.

• Mark Petko, Horizon Elementary.

• Mercedes Booth, Indian River Elementary.

• Tara Gardner, Mainland High School.

• Holly McPherson, Manatee Cove Elementary.

• Emily Naghdi, Louise S. McInnis Elementary.

• Paul Woodard, New Smyrna Beach High School.

• Dr. DeAnna Haught, New Smyrna Beach Middle School.

• Cheryl Turner, Orange City Elementary.

• Ashley Cowin, Ormond Beach Elementary.

• Lohree Pulver, Ormond Beach Middle School.

• Jaime Potts, Osteen Elementary.

• Kristina Schmitt, Palm Terrace Elementary.

• Matthew Coleman, Pathways Elementary.

• Christie Y. Henry, Pierson Elementary.

• Holly Taylor, Pine Ridge High School.

• Doug Witter, Pine Trail Elementary.

• Abigail Clowers, Port Orange Elementary.

• Evelyn Irizarry, Pride Elementary.

• Jenny Graham, Read-Pattillo Elementary.

• Luz Mariella Sullivan, River Springs Middle School of Technology & Innovation.

• Hai Chi Saber Bride, Silver Sands Middle School.

• Mary Nave’, South Daytona Elementary.

• Victoria Langston, Southwestern Middle School.

• Ashley McCormick, Spirit Elementary.

• Joyce Swain, Spruce Creek Elementary.

• Christa Bryant, Edith I. Starke Elementary.

• Amanda Frantz, Sugar Mill Elementary.

• Judy Picone, Sunrise Elementary.

• Kim Perry, Sweetwater Elementary.

• Jaime Davis, T. DeWitt Taylor Middle-High School.

• Brad Culpepper, Timbercrest Elementary.

• Beccy Leigh Schulze, Tomoka Elementary.

• Porscha Morrow, Turie T. Small Elementary.

• Linda Berner, University High School.

• Jennifer Algard, Volusia Online Learning.

• Shandris Hinson, Volusia Pines Elementary.

• Samantha MacHardy, Woodward Avenue Elementary.

Flagler will honor District Teacher and Employee of the Year

Flagler Schools will announce District Teacher of the Year and Employee of the Year at its gala, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Flagler Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. The two winners will represent the school district at the statewide level.

For the first time, the school district is also honoring "Rookie" Teachers of the Year, those in their first two years of teaching.

Last year, Flagler-Palm Coast High School math teacher Jim Gambone was Teacher of the Year, and Judy Gallo, area manager for Flagler County Schools Food and Nutritional Services, was Employee of the Year.

Marcus Sanfilippo and Donelle Evensen, both of Bunnell Elementary, were also recently named Flagler Schools Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year.

The nominees for Flagler Schools are below.

Teachers of the Year:

• Jennifer Halsey, Wadsworth Elementary School.

• Laura Hibbard, Buddy Taylor Middle School.

• Stacy Johnson, Old Kings Elementary School.

• Dana Lique, iFlagler Virtual School.

• Robyn McAnany, Belle Terre Elementary School.

• Ken Rucker, Flagler Technical College.

• Carrie Schell, Flagler-Palm Coast High School.

• Laura Shanley, Indian Trails Middle School.

• Julie Sheffield, Bunnell Elementary School.

• Judy White, Rymfire Elementary School.

• Brice Winfree, Matanzas High School.

Rookies of the Year:

• Zach Berwaldt, Indian Trails Middle School.

• Tyler Bethea, Matanzas High School.

• Tegan Acieri, Buddy Taylor Middle School.

• Sarah Paddock, Flagler-Palm Coast High School.

• Serena Pezzullo, Wadsworth Elementary School.

• Emily Presswood, Rymfire Elementary School.

• Juliet Sattar, Belle Terre Elementary School.

• Roxianne Smith, Bunnell Elementary School.

• Jessica Stone, Old Kings Elementary School.

School Employees of the Year:

• Holly Blair, Belle Terre Elementary School.

• Julianna Burns, Rymfire Elementary School.

• Sabrina Hollyfield, Indian Trails Middle School.

• Amy Ippolito, iFlagler Virtual School.

• Susan Johnson, Flagler Technical College.

• Linda Longo, Flagler-Palm Coast High School.

• Kari Pierce, Bunnell Elementary School.

• Maria Sanfilippo, Buddy Taylor Middle School.

• Rodney Schroeder, Wadsworth Elementary School.

• Paula Teixeira, Matanzas High School.

• Christine Wyatt, Old Kings Elementary School.

District Employees of the Year:

• Kim Anderson, Government Services Building (Human Resources).

• Steven Anuszczyk, Transportation Services.

• Renee Berry, Custodial Services.

• Brett Galt, Plant Services.

• Celia Lizardo, Food and Nutrition Services.

• Elsie Stinton, Technology/IS.

Contact Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida Teacher of the Year finalists announced in Volusia, Flagler