KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

It was a night of celebrations for Tullahoma City Schools as the Board of Education spent Tuesday evening honoring eight educators who were named the Teachers of the Year.

“It’s always a fun time of year and such a joy to celebrate our educators who have been named Teacher of the Year at their schools and even for their district,” TCS Director of Schools Dr. Catherine Stephens said during the meeting. “The level of commitment displayed by our educators is incredible, and our Teachers of the Year have earned the level of respect from their peers that they were named the ‘Teacher of the Year’ for their school.”

Each year, teachers from each elementary school, middle school and Tullahoma High School were nominated by their peers for the distinction of Teacher of the Year. One at a time, the principals from the seven schools in the district came forward to talk about their school’s Teacher of the Year, and each board member presented the teachers with a certificate and a check. 

Elementary school Teachers of the Year 

Dr. Clint Epley, principal of Bel-Aire Elementary, said it was an honor to recognize Fay Patterson, who serves as the speech pathologist for the school, and highlighted both Patterson’s career and her qualities as an educator that he, teachers and families want in an educator.

“She’s kind to all, she’s an excellent communicator and she is respectful to coworkers, students and parents. Ms. Fay’s professionalism is top notch and her thoroughness is appreciated by faculty, staff and parents. Ms. Fay is a wonderful member of our team and our friend.”

Epley also shared some of Patterson’s coworkers’ comments in which all of them praised her work ethic and how “everyone needs a Ms. Fay.”

For East Lincoln Elementary School, Principal Scott Hargrove shared the “six most powerful things” to share to an educator as he talked East Lincoln’s Teacher of the Year Sharon Nelius. The six things he shared was a “thank you” for meeting students at the door in the morning and for being a team player for all school manners; his appreciation for her work in preparing students for the road ahead them; and her sacrifices for going above and beyond for her time as cross country coach and organizing meets as well as events like the Eagle Strut and the Sixth Grade Reception.

“Her presence and support is evident in all events at the “Eagle’s Nest” during the school day and after school hours,” Hargrove said.

Hargrove continued with his list by stating Nelius helped to make things easier thanks to her skills in communicating with the students and their needs; how she makes learning fun and how the students are always excited to learn during her counseling class; and how she cares about her students and wants to see them success in whatever they participate in.

“She’s very honored to serve as their cheerleader and mentor,” Hargrove said. “Thank you Sharon for making a positive impact at East Lincoln.”

Jack T. Farrar (JTF) principal Travis Moore stated that while his time at the school has not been long, JTF’s Teacher of the Year Angie Coop has always come to him. He praised her for being a team player and to be able to hold up “the upmost honor and respect” it takes to teach second grade while taking care of her family during a tough year. 

Similar to the other principals, Moore asked Coop’s coworkers what they would say about her and they all said she has been their life saver. After presenting Coop with a bag of LifeSaver mints he thanked her for what she has done for JTF and said he can’t wait to continue to work with her.

Robert L. Lee Elementary (REL) Teacher of the Year was Macie Honey, who also named the school district’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year. REL principal Mary Gilbert said it was an exciting night for her as she and Honey go back many years, with her being a former REL Lion. Gilbert said she talked to her Honey’s colleagues about what made her stand out. Gilbert said some of the initiatives Honey has set up, including “The Healthier You,” where she helps with staff lose weight by helping with daily fitness challenges, food logs, creating motivational calendars and so on to help them take care of themselves while having fun.

“She also does it to set the example for our students and I think that’s a wonderful example of being the best version of themselves,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert also shared that Honey’s colleagues praised her for bringing much joy and laughter to students and teachers, encouraging to everyone to be the best version of themselves, her dedication and her diligence.

“She truly gives it her all. She goes it all and above for all students. Our REL Lions love her and we are blessed to have her.” 

Middle school Teachers of the Year 

Moving onto the middle school teachers of the year, East Middle School Principal Dr. Woody Dillehay said MS Teacher of the Year Tara Litchford was a great fit for the school and praised her all of her hard work for events and for what she does in the classroom for the students. Along with being a teacher, Litchford also serves as the track coach for EMS, per Dillehay.

Dillehay jokingly said he went on Facebook and found a post Litchford made where she said “Middle school, that’s my jam,” and said that spoke to Litchford’s love for the students.

“Tara loves the kids, she is a great teammate to her coworkers,” Dillehay said. “We’re so proud of you.”

West Middle School Principal Cindy Herrera said that WMS’s Teacher of the Year Nikki Harris, who was also tapped as the Middle School Teacher of the Year, was a former student of hers and said she has been a pleasure with, working with her since she returned to WMS.

Herrera said Harris is instrumental to the success of many of WMS students because she is passionate on helping with their growth and always looking for ways to improve all aspects of their lives.

“[Harris] is an extraordinary person in the field of education and she demonstrates her gift of being a true educator as she builds a positive culture,” Herrera said. “Her nature is to build a positive culture here at West Middle School.”

Herrera added when she is out in the community and meets with former students they will ask how Harris is doing and they will talk about how she helped them to grow academically. Herrera said what she appreciated most about Harris is how she changes people’s lives by giving confidence and inspiring her students.

“By championing for each student, believing all students have potential, Nikki Harris has changed many lives in Tullahoma and West Middle School.” 

High school Teachers of the Year 

The last set of teachers to be honored are the Tullahoma High School Teachers of the Year. Normally, the high school had three winners, along with the district High School Teacher of the Year, due to the size of the building. However, there were only two this year due to Sgt. Richard Ramirez, the third nominee, retiring in December.

THS Principal Jason Quick said he, along with the students and community, is pleased to work with many of the amazing teachers that work at the high school, and said that Brady Goodman and Erica Duke-Robinson, who was also named the district’s High School Teacher of the Year, standing before them says a lot about their level of teaching and their impact on the students.

Quick said it’s not too hard to find Goodman’s classroom as you can hear him in the hallway. Quick praised Goodman as when he has seen his class he sees all the students wanting to volunteer read and participate, all in part due to Goodman’s passion.

“When you go into his classroom, you see the passion he has, not only for English but more importantly for the students,” Quick said. “He’s had an impact on our student culture, our climate in the classrooms and in the hallways. You should see a pep rally that he and [Erica] Duke Robinson can put together in the auditorium.”

Quick added that what you see with Goodman is what you get and he is somebody that parents want their children to be influenced by.

“I just want to say thank you for what you do for our school and how you have touched the lives of our kids in the hallways, classrooms and our pep rallies.”

Similar in vain to Goodman, Quick praised Duke-Robinson for how she is able to reach students that can hard to connect with them. He recalled a moment when he saw her get a student, who was disengaged, excited and engaged. He also admired her for always stopping for students when they wanted to speak with her.

“What she does in the classroom and what she does for this school is she engages with those kids,” he said. “They know they are loved, they know they are cared for.”

To conclude the celebrations, Jim Woodard of the Tullahoma Educational Foundation presented each of the district Teacher of the Year winners with an additional checks of $1,000.

“Everybody on our Educational Foundation is a fan. We are a raving fan of the school system, of the students who are here and of the teachers who bring education and that quality of life to our community.”