Online Campus Educator Among Teacher of Year Finalists

Gwinnett County Schools have named the six finalists for its annual Teacher of the Year Award.

Finalists are: Dr. Sharon Smith of Brookwood Elementary, Dr. Kishina Woolfolk of Harbins Elementary, Cindy Apley Rose of Couch Middle, Lesley McClendon of Shiloh Middle, Randi Hill of Gwinnett Online Campus, and Dr. Colette Grodzicki of North Gwinnett High.

The teachers were selected by a GCPS committee from a list of 26 semifinalists, who were whittled down from 131 local school teachers of the year.

The Gwinnett Teacher of the Year will be announced on Nov. 11.

2015 Gwinnett Teacher of the Year Finalist Profiles

(from Gwinnett Public Schools)

• Dr. Sharon Smith of Brookwood Elementary

(13 years in education, all with GCPS)

A product of the school system, Dr. Sharon Smith says that “Gwinnett County Public Schools certainly ‘did right’ by this child.” She correlates her positive school experience to the inspiring, supportive, and engaging teachers that taught her over the years. She adds, “These individuals were not just my teachers, but also my role models... As a result, I was drawn to teaching.”

Dr. Smith feels her greatest contribution to education is her commitment to being a lifelong learner, explaining that she has never been satisfied with the status quo. She says, “I am constantly collaborating with other educators through planning as well as facilitating presentations and staff development in my school, my cluster, other counties, and on the national level. These opportunities allow me to share my knowledge while also benefitting from the knowledge of others. My constant re- evaluation of instructional practices enables my students to be active learners, who enjoy learning, and who consistently exceed expectations.

Dr. Smith is a Gifted Language Arts Teacher (Grades 1 and 2) and Early Intervention Program Teacher and Literacy Coach at Brookwood Elementary. She joined GCPS in 1993 as a second grade teacher at Simonton Elementary. After stints at Mercer University (2001-2006) and the University of Georgia (2006-2008) as a Student Teacher Supervisor, she came back to GCPS, joining the staff of Brookwood Elementary in 2008. Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia. She earned her master’s and specialist’s degree from Mercer University and completed her doctorate in Language and Literacy Education from the University of Georgia.

• Dr. Kishina Woolfolk of Harbins Elementary

(18 years in education, all with GCPS)

Dr. Kishina Woolfolk believes that the most effective teacher models creativity and innovation, saying she could never describe a typical day in her classroom. She explains, “Each day is different and changes based on the needs of my students. You might listen to me singing an original song about going green to assist students with adding details to their writing. Students might follow up by creating an interactive image on our school-owned Google Nexus tablets. On another day, you might find me in my role as Harriet Tubman re-enacting a trip on the Underground Railroad for an iMovie project on iPads... Whatever the activity, you’ll find that my classroom is an interactive environment where learning can take us anywhere.”

Dr. Woolfolk supports the students and teachers at Harbins Elementary as the school’s technology specialist and coach. Since joining the staff of Harbins in 2007 she also has taught fourth and fifth grades. Her teaching experience also includes teaching at Rockbridge Elementary (1995-2006) where she taught fourth and fifth graders, along with students learning English. Dr. Woolfolk received her bachelor’s degree in from Georgia State University, her master’s degree from Brenau University, and her specialist’s degree from the University of Sarasota. She completed her doctorate from Argosy University in 2007.

• Cindy Apley Rose of Couch Middle (18 years in education, all with GCPS)

This educator firmly believes that to be an effective teacher one must not hide in the classroom. She says, “Teachers who remain static in the learning process soon find themselves and their students left behind. I devote myself to continuous research of proven strategies that will enhance the learning of my students. I also study college level courses in the strands of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. By doing this, I ensure that my lessons are mathematically sound and rigorous. By understanding the mathematics required for future grade levels, I help my students understand where the knowledge they are attaining will lead them.”

A veteran educator, Mrs. Apley Rose started her career as an educator at Shiloh Middle in 1997, working with special education students (1997-2000) and teaching social studies and mathematics (2000-2009). She was selected as Shiloh Middle’s local school Teacher of the Year in 2006-2007 and was one of six finalists for the county honor that year. She joined the staff of Couch Middle when that school opened, teaching accelerated and standard mathematics. Mrs. Apley Rose earned her undergraduate degree and master’s degree from Brenau University. She later added a specialist’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Georgia.

• Lesley McClendon of Shiloh Middle (5 years in education, all with GCPS)

Lesley McClendon’s teaching philosophy is built around the cornerstone belief that all children can learn. She says, “This belief becomes critically important when one takes into consideration that the majority of my students, many of whom are challenged by learning disabilities, believe that they cannot do so... As I work to create a positive and engaging environment in my classroom, the learning begins with my ability to forge meaningful connections with my students. I need to know who they are as individuals, as well as who they are as learners, in order to best help them achieve personal goals and academic success.

Ms. McClendon entered the teaching profession in 2010, teaching language arts and mathematics to eighth grade special education students at Richards Middle. The next year, she joined the staff at Shiloh Middle, where she continues today teaching language arts to seventh grade special education students. She also contributes to the Reach for Excellence program at The Marist School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rhodes College (Memphis, TN), and holds a master’s degree in Language and Literacy from Georgia State University.

• Randi Hill of Gwinnett Online Campus (23 years in education, all with GCPS)

Being named a Teacher of the Year for her school is not new to Randi Hill as she has earned the honor and praise from her peers at two different Gwinnett high schools. Key to her success are her relationship-building skills, specifically, her desire to help others and her sincere interest in people. She explains, saying, “I believe that building relationships is a necessity to being a truly successful educator. Ultimately, my greatest contribution to education is instilling a sense of value and confidence to the students, parents, and colleagues as I help them find success... Once I can connect and build a relationship with students and teachers, I can then easily demonstrate why I believe in them while simultaneously teaching them.”

Mrs. Hill joined the staff at Gwinnett Online Campus as its Local School Technology Coordinator (LSTC) in 2012. Prior to her work at Gwinnett Online Campus, she was the LSTC at Archer High (2009-2012) and a Business Education teacher at Central Gwinnett High (1991-2009). She earned her bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College and later completed both a master’s and specialist’s degree from the University of Georgia.

• Dr. Colette Grodzicki of North Gwinnett High School

(10 years in education, all with GCPS)

Dr. Colette Grodzicki’s love for students is coupled with a love for challenging them academically. She strives to provide her students a rigorous curriculum that reinforces critical thinking skills which can be applied to all parts of their lives. In doing so, she connects content to the real world and literature to students’ lives in new, innovative ways. She explains, “Lessons on Dante’s Inferno were infused with connections to the allegorical creations of students’ own infernos. Tim O’Brian’s The Things They Carried became a look at what students carry with them and how they can let those “things” go to find personal peace... The development of these lessons took years! Hours! Summers! And I loved every minute of it!”

Dr. Grodzicki teaches Language Arts to Advanced Placement students and tenth graders at North Gwinnett. She has spent the last 10 years teaching that community’s students. Dr. Grodzicki holds a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. She completed her specialist’s degree and doctoral program at Kennesaw State University.