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Sperry Schools Announce 2024 Site Teachers of the Year
Teachers at each site annually choose from among their fellow professionals one to represent the best qualities of teaching, embodying the principle of the district’s motto: Excellence in Education. Three teachers have been honored this year by their peers to represent the finest quality of teaching at each level—elementary, consisting of grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade; middle school, consisting of 6th grade through 8th grade; and high school, consisting of 9th grade through 12th grade.
Mr. Ryan White is in his nineteenth year of teaching music, having returned to Sperry Elementary School after being away for several years. This is Mr. White’s second year back at Sperry, but he wasted no time getting back into his program working to help elementary students of all levels develop a love for music. Mrs. Traci Taylor, Sperry Elementary School principal, noted, “The impact that Mr. White’s positivity and creative teaching has on the students he serves is exciting. Students are enthusiastic when it is their turn to attend music class each week because his lessons are engaging and student centered.” A 2nd grade student said she couldn’t “name everything good about him, because there is so much,” but was able to articulate that Mr. White is “really funny, and really good at music.” A 3rd grade student said, “I got buckets and sticks at home to play songs that have been taught to us during music class.”
Mr. John Edgar has taught middle school science for his entire 19-year teaching career. In addition to the traditional science curriculum, Mr. Edgar also teaches a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) course to 8th grade students in the hopes of increasing interest the wide range of careers available in those categories. “Coach Edgar is always on the cutting edge of new ways to reach his students,” Sperry Middle School principal Mike Juby said. “He enjoys working with the students, and the students positively to his honest interest in the subject and them.” One of Mr. Edgar’s students noted, “Coach Edgar is one of the best teachers because he thinks things through so they will make sense to all of us in class. He is my favorite teacher because he is always positive towards us in class.” Another student concurred, saying, “He is humorous, and he explains everything thoroughly. I appreciate the fact that his classroom and lessons are always organized and thought out.”
Ms. Jackie Barnett has taught English for the past 33 years at Sperry High School, as well as psychology and driver education. Ms. Barnett’s adept teaching skills have been noticed before by her peers; in fact, she was the district teacher of the year for the 2014-2015 school year. Sperry High School principal Richard Akin said, “Ms. Barnett is a great teacher who brings an enthusiasm of the curriculum to life in such a manner that engages students, helping them to relate to and apply the lessons of literature to real life experiences.” One student noted that while Ms. Barnett’s class was certainly not easy, she was glad to have been in the class, noting, “Ms. Barnett demands much from us students, but she makes learning new material easy.” Another student said, “Ms. Barnett is always very understanding when we are having difficulties with assignments and does her best to present the lesson in a different manner to help each student learn the best way that they acquire new materials.”
The site Teachers of the Year will each submit an application with a personal biography and their philosophy of teaching for review by the District Staff Development Committee. After carefully reviewing the applications, the committee will announce the District Teacher of the Year later in the spring semester.
