GCS Names Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year

The announcement was made at the district’s Celebrating Excellence in Education event; the top 16 most improved schools were also recognized

Contact: Haley Miller (336) 370-3200
Created: 9/29/2009 9:48:36 AM

For making a difference in students’ lives, Terri Roberts, an Advanced Learners teacher at Southwest Elementary, and Cheri Keels, principal at Triangle Lake Montessori, both received the district’s highest honors at the ninth annual Celebrating Excellence in Education event Monday. The event is sponsored by Businesses for Excellence in Education.

Roberts, the Guilford County Schools (GCS) Teacher of the Year and Keels, the GCS Principal of the Year, both won a total of $1,500—$1,000 for winning the overall award and $500 for winning at their grade level. Roberts was also named Elementary Teacher of the Year and Keels was named the Elementary Principal of the Year.

A non-traditional teacher, Roberts began her career as a reporter and then went on to work as a media specialist at a health department. “It was during my work with the department’s health educators that I first became aware of the power of education, both in preventing problems before they occur and in empowering individuals to make better decisions for their families and their community,” said Roberts. She has been in the classroom for the last 17 years.

Other winners in the Teacher of the Year category included Deanna Wynn from Southern Middle, who was the middle school winner, and Darren Corbett from Grimsley High who took home the high school award. Both teachers received $500. Jennifer Caligan from Nathanael Greene Elementary and Joan Kimmel from Weaver Academy were the remaining finalists and received $300 each.

With 17 years of experience in education, Keels calls herself a leader of leaders. “I say this to remind my staff that the responsibility of educators to use 21st century instructional practices in order to meet the needs of students lies upon each of our shoulders,” said Keels. Keels began her career in the classroom as a sixth-grade teacher.

Other principals receiving awards included Anna Brady from Grimsley High. She received $500 for being the secondary schools winner. The remaining finalists, Edwina Monroe from Falkener Elementary, Patrice Brown from Archer Elementary and Geraldine Russ-Cox from Rankin Elementary received $300 each. GCS also recognized the 16 most improved schools in Guilford County during Monday’s event. The schools received grants for more than $9,600 and a banner to hang at the school.

To select the most improved schools, all schools are divided into three index groups based on a weighted percentage of students of color, students on free/reduced price lunch, students who are Limited English Proficient and students with disabilities. There are then three elementary schools, one middle school and high school selected from each index group. One middle college/high school academy is also selected; these schools are in a separate category. The schools are selected based on improvement on the ABCs Performance Composite from the previous year to the current year. The Performance Composite is a measure of the percentage of students at or above proficiency on all tested subjects for a school. 16 Most Improved Schools were Kirkman Park Elementary, Bessemer Elementary, Cone Elementary, Triangle Lake Montessori, Guilford Elementary, Sumner Elementary, Nathanael Greene Elementary, Madison Elementary, Northern Elementary, Ferndale Middle, Northeast Middle, The Academy at Lincoln, Northeast High, Southwest High, Southeast High and the Academy at Smith. Schools that received this esteemed honor in the past have used the grants in a variety of ways to address specific campus needs. Many schools used the grants to provide additional teacher training, purchase books for media centers or offer curriculum support materials in the classrooms.

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About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina serving more than 71,000 students at 120 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. 

Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship.  For more information, visit the district’s Web site at www.gcsnc.com.