Your Latest A+ Educators 👩‍🏫🥇✏

We’ve made it to the end, and for that we’d like to give a huge thank you to all the teachers out there persevering with their students through it all! Our community would not be the same without you and all the efforts you put in, even those that may go unnoticed. 

With that said, we are excited to share our A+ Educators Awards announcement! These awards serve to highlight teachers and staff members at local schools that are nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in their service to their students and colleagues. The A+ Educators Awards are our way of saying thank you to the teachers and staff making a difference. Each of the current winners will receive a gift certificate to The Depot Grille in Downtown Staunton to celebrate their greatly valued success! 

(Click here to check out the previous A+ Educators award winners.)

 Winner:  Jessica Little
Position: Librarian 
School:  Clymore Elementary School

Ms. Little has taken the Clymore library and literacy programs to new heights! She creates engaging activities to get kids engaged in reading such as book tastings where students are introduced to a variety of different texts on a variety of reading levels that are available right there in their library! She collaborates with teachers to identify interests, instructional needs, support for current content in the classrooms in order to expand learning and make connections across curriculums.  She works with students who are reluctant readers, finds their interest and connects them with high interest books on their reading level.  Students of all instructional levels are finding success because of the care and investment in time she puts in to engage students and build relationships.  We appreciate all of her efforts.

 Winner:  Kathleen Trach
Position: Special Education
School: Wilson Middle School

Kathleen Trach is a Master Special Education Teacher.  She serves as the team leader at Wilson Middle School.  Kathleen’s colleagues and supervisors state that she has a heart of gold and works hard to make sure that her students' needs are being met in every area of the school environment.  Kathleen is a true team player and works with the general education staff tirelessly to make sure students have access to their curriculum.  She is a model teacher for other teachers in the building and around the division.  She has mentored many new teachers within the middle school to meet both the instructional needs and the compliance aspects of special education.  Kathleen has helped her team and the whole school environment work through some very tough situations this year.  Her heart for others comes through with all of her interactions and we are thankful to have her in Augusta County Schools.   

Winner: Erik Walker
Position: World History, World Geography
School: Fort Defiance High School

Erik Walker teaches World History and World Geography among other courses at Fort Defiance High School.  He also coaches the Fort Defiance Scholastic Bowl Team and has advised them on their way to numerous awards and recognitions as you have already heard tonight.  Mr. Walker has been a teacher in Augusta County for 20 years and continues to not only provide great instruction in his classroom but has worked with students in a variety of roles outside of the classroom as well.  He is also the History Department Chair and the Gifted Coordinator for FDHS.  We recognize the efforts Mr. Walker makes for his students every day and thank him for his leadership and dedication to Augusta County students.  

Winner: Nancy Gillis
Position: 2nd Grade
School: Clymore Elementary School

Nancy Gillis is a 2nd grade teacher at Clymore Elementary School.  Nancy is a teacher who has focused on expanding her professional knowledge, especially in the area of literacy. This knowledge has not only benefited her students but other staff members. The implementation of what she has learned in her classroom has strengthened her instruction and the impact on students and their learning has been significant! In addition to her own classroom, she shares her enthusiasm, techniques, and materials with others in her school and other elementary schools as well. We thank Ms. Gillis for her focus on professional development and the positive impact she has had on her students and colleagues.  

Winner: Scottie Mason
Position: 6th Grade History
School: Wilson Middle School

Mrs. Mason teaches sixth grade history at Wilson Middle School.  She goes above and beyond when it comes to caring for her students. She is the first to offer to call a parent when a child is struggling or if there's a concern. She builds relationships, not only with the students but with their families, which creates a safe, trusting teacher-student relationship in the classroom. Mrs. Mason's kindness and concern for others goes beyond her classroom and extends to her colleagues. She is always the first to offer assistance when there's a need. She is a very giving and productive educator. Her energy, attention to detail, and approach to students and history are a perfect recipe for student success at Wilson Middle School.   

Winner: Amanda Seldomridge
Position: Media Specialist
School: Buffalo Gap High School

Amanda Seldomridge is the Media Specialist at Buffalo Gap High School.  Amanda goes far beyond being the Media Specialist to being the go-to person for English remediation and working with students to make connections and find success in reading and writing using their interests and the relationships she builds with students.  She is a leader for Senior class sponsorship, and she leads the Buffalo Gap Book club.  In addition to all of this she is the Gifted Coordinator and goes above and beyond to create opportunities for the BGHS Gifted students within the school as well as connecting to experiences outside of the Buffalo Gap community.   She also assists the career coach in developing job experience related events for Buffalo Gap students.  We thank Ms. Seldomridge for her tireless efforts to provide a wide variety of meaningful instructional and real-life experiences for the students at Buffalo Gap High School.  

Thank you again to these amazing teachers who make such a difference to their students and community!

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