Guilford County Schools recently held its annual Celebration of Excellence Awards where numerous UNC Greensboro School of Education (SOE) alumni were honored for their performances. Awards were handed out for Rookie Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Assistant Principal of the Year, Mentor of the Year, Social Worker of the Year, School Psychologist of the Year, School Counselor of the Year, and School Library Media Coordinator of the Year.
Among the SOE alumni that were recognized were the district’s Principal of the Year, Dr. Darrell Harris; Rookie Teacher of the Year, Madison Magyar; School Counselor of the Year, Suzanne Ladka; and School Library Media Coordinator of the Year, Chesley Huskins.
Below is a list of SOE alumni who were finalists for each award:
Principal of the Year
- Darrell Harris, Eastern Guilford High School (PMC School Administration, ’13; Ed.S. Educational Leadership, ’16; Ed.D. Educational Leadership, ’18)
- Ashley Triplett, Peck Elementary School (B.A. History, Secondary Education, ’16; MSA School Administration, ’13; Ed.S. Educational Leadership, ’15; Ed.D. Educational Leadership, ’18)
- Nicole Weeks, Northern Guilford Elementary School (M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction – Elementary Education, ’06; MSA School Administration, ’17)
- Abu Zaeem, Shadybrook Elementary School (NCTeach – Middle Grades Math, ’09)
Assistant Principal of the Year
- Maya Bell, Allen Jay Elementary School (M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction – Reading Education, ’18; PMC School Administration, ’20)
- Melissa Bocci, Kiser Middle School (M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction – Spanish Education Classroom Practice Track, ’06; Ph.D. Educational Studies – Cultural Studies, ’16; PMC School Administration, ’19)
- Karen Williams, Eastern Guilford High School (MA School Administration, ’18)
Rookie Teacher of the Year
- Madison Magyar, Summerfield Elementary School (B.S. Special Education: General Curriculum – Dual Elementary/Special Education, ’24)
- Kamryn Pinnix, McLeansville Elementary School (B.S. Elementary Education, ’24)
- Amanda Best, Southeast Guilford Middle School (B.S. Special Education: General Curriculum – Dual Elementary/Special Education, ’24)
School Counselor of the Year
- Suzanne Ladka, Ragsdale High School (M.S./Ed.S Counseling – School Counseling, ’04)
School Library Media Coordinator of the Year
- Chesley Huskins, Sylvia Mendez Newcomers School (MLIS – School Library Media Coordinator, ’06)
- Javier Carranza, Fouse Elementary School (MLIS – School Library Media Coordinator, ’24; PBC Instructional Design, ’24)
- C. Chauncey, Smith High School (M.Ed. Counseling and Development – Student Development in Higher Education, ’93; Add-On Licensure – Library Science, ’16)
- Jen Miller, Northern Guilford Middle School (MLIS – School Library Media Coordinator, Currently Enrolled)
- Brittany Siggers, Southeast Guilford Middle School (MLIS – School Library Media Coordinator, ’22)
- Patty Stringer, Northwest Guilford Middle School (Add-On Media Supervisor, ’20)
- Betsy Sumerford, Erwin Montessori School (MLIS – Library & Information Studies, ’17; Add-On School Library Media Coordinator, ’21)
The honorees are representative from all five of the School of Education’s departments – Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, Department of Specialized Education Services, Department of Counseling and Educational Development, Department of Information, Library, and Research Sciences.
You can watch the entire awards show on YouTube.
Photos Courtesy of Guilford County Schools
