District Five announces Teacher of the Year finalists

IRMO – Lexington-Richland School District Five has named finalists for its 2016-2017 Teacher of the Year award. The finalists are: Mansa Joseph, a special education teacher at Irmo Elementary School; Kevin Sox, an agricultural teacher at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center); and Rebekah Gilliam, an English teacher at Spring Hill High School. The district Teacher of the Year will be announced on May 18.

District Five Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner said, “I continue to be amazed by the talent and dedication of our teachers all across the district. This year’s Teacher of the Year finalists represent the very best of District Five and the teaching profession. We congratulate them and thank them for their outstanding service to our students and families.”

Joseph has four years of teaching experience at Irmo Elementary School. He has a bachelor’s degree in special education from Clemson University, where he was part of the Call Me MISTER program.  He has a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Southern Wesleyan University. He also is the assistant director for the Honey Bunch after school program and is the elementary coordinator for Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. “My greatest contribution is the service I render to my students, their families, and the staff at Irmo Elementary,” Joseph said. “I cannot be everything for everyone, but if I am able to do something that would benefit our school community, then I will do my very best.”

Sox has been the agricultural education teacher at The Center since it opened in 2012. Prior to joining The Center, he taught for five years in Aiken County. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Clemson University.  He is also involved with the Lexington County Farm Bureau and has been involved in the Boy Scouts for many years, receiving his Eagle Scout recognition in 2001 and currently serving on the board of directors for a local Boy Scout troop. Sox said, “On my families’ farm and in our ag shop, my granddad taught me a lot about agriculture, business, life and family. Now that he’s gone, I feel it’s my responsibility to share those same values and skills. I may not be charged with cultivating crops for profit, but I am charged with cultivating young minds for our future.”

Gilliam has five years of teaching experience all in District Five schools. She spent three years at Chapin Middle School before joining the staff at Spring Hill High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Presbyterian College and a master’s degree from Columbia College in divergent learning.  She has taken on numerous leadership roles including founding a faculty book club, organizing student flood relief and establishing the Joy Club which sings to nursing home residents.  Gilliam said, “My rewards in teaching are most realized when my students become invested in their education. When I help students see the meaning behind their studies and help them become invested in their education… When my students enjoy learning and see how it is relevant, I feel as though I have influenced them for a lifetime.”
 

Teachers of the Year from each school include: Chad Bridges (Academy For Success), Tiffney Stanley (Ballentine Elementary), Kevin Sox (Center for Advanced Technical Studies), Carolyn Joye (Chapin Elementary), Amy Umberger (Dutch Fork Elementary), Natasha Green (H. E. Corley Elementary), Ashley Thompson (Harbison West Elementary), Mansa Joseph (Irmo Elementary), Marcus Nellems (Lake Murray Elementary), Sarah Guffey (Leaphart Elementary), Anna Brent (Nursery Road Elementary), Amy Collins (Oak Pointe Elementary), Ben Landers (River Springs Elementary), Janet Foard (Seven Oaks Elementary), Kristi Meetze (Chapin Intermediate), Joanna Connell (CrossRoads Intermediate), Amy Reynolds (Chapin Middle), Erica James (Dutch Fork Middle), Will Green (Irmo Middle), Katie Pfrommer (Chapin High), Susan Aplin (Dutch Fork High), Shirpolle Peniston-Blair (Irmo High), and Rebekah Gilliam (Spring Hill High).