Cherokee High Media Specialist Wins District Title Again

CANTON, GA — Cherokee High School Media Specialist Anne Nechvatal will have to find wall space to display another honor, as the past Georgia Media Specialist of the Year has earned the Cherokee County School District’s title again.

Superintendent of Schools Brian Hightower made the surprise presentation to Nechvatal before her peers at a faculty meeting Wednesday morning.

“You do a tremendous job,” Hightower said, as the crowd rose to give her a standing ovation. “We’re so proud of the work you do with kids and adults.”

Nechvatal previously earned the honor in 2017 and advanced to win the region and statewide titles that year, and also has on two other occasions won the title for her Innovation Zone; she again will be nominated by the district for the regional award.

As part of the celebration, she was awarded an iPad tablet and plaque and enjoyed a reception attended by colleagues and her husband, Gerry, with the costs sponsored by Credit Union of Georgia, a Cherokee Schools partner. Nechvatal also will be recognized by the School Board and Superintendent of Schools at the March 19 School Board meeting.

All county school media specialists were eligible for the award, and Nechvatal was selected as the winner from a pool of a dozen outstanding nominees by a judging committee of retired educators and community leaders.

Hightower noted that, in addition to Nechvatal’s extensive knowledge and experience and effective use of technology, her innovative ideas, such as her successful effort this school year to host the county’s first-ever TEDx-licensed TED Talk event, impressed the judges – and him.

Nechvatal said the event, which featured seven students and four educators as speakers, was made possible thanks to the support of her colleagues, who she thanked in her remarks upon receiving the award.

“Our theme for the event was ‘Connect’ and my goal was to build relationships between the faculty and students,” she said, noting she has applied to host an even larger TED event next year. “The feedback from all involved in planning the event and all those in attendance was truly gratifying.”

She joined Cherokee High five years ago from Ball Ground Elementary School STEM Academy and has earned both a masters of education degree in school library media and an education specialist degree in school library media and instructional technology. A member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International educator organization, Nechvatal is regularly called upon by her colleagues statewide to present at conferences and judge competitions.

Her ultimate goal, Nechvatal said, is to create a media center that is “safe, accessible and user-friendly; put simply, a place where students want to visit,” and she has succeeded, according to colleagues.

“She somehow seamlessly blends chaos and order in a way that promotes growth for all students that visit,” the media center, said Cherokee High science teacher J. Kyle Davis. “Anne has taken great strides to move the Cherokee High School media center into the future.”