District Names Teacher of Year, Support Employee of the Year

The 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year and Support Employee of the Year for the School District of Pickens County were announced at the district’s Back-to-School Celebration on Friday morning.

The Teacher of the Year is Darleen Sutton, a first grade teacher at Pickens Elementary School, and the Support Employee of the Year is Kela Simpson, the Title I Facilitator at West End Elementary.

Each year, a teacher of the year and support employee of the year is chosen at each school and department in the district. A committee then chooses four finalists in both categories from those candidates. The other finalists are named as the district’s Honor Roll Teachers and Support Employees.

This year’s honor roll teachers are, Kathleen Dickel from Daniel High School, Kelly Sheppard from Pickens High School and Frances Young from Liberty High School. This year’s Honor Roll Support Employees are Donyea Brown from Clemson Elementary, Sharon Durham from Six Mile Elementary and Gene Zeigler from Dacusville Middle School.

“To be selected among your peers to represent them and their school as the Support Employee of the Year or the Teacher of the Year is a true honor,” said Dr. Kelly Pew, SDPC Superintendent. “Each employee recognized today makes a difference in the lives of the children and their colleagues in their individual schools.  I congratulate each one of them and wish them a wonderful school year.  I am especially proud of Darleen and Kela for their achievement.”

Sutton and Simpson along with all of the Honor Roll Teachers and Support Employees each received a plaque from Herff Jones and a cash gift sponsored by MetLife. The Teacher of the year was awarded $500, the Support Employee of the Year was awarded $250, Honor Roll teachers were awarded $100 and Honor Roll support employees were awarded $50.

In the application for Sutton’s award, one of her co-workers—whose daughter was also one of Sutton’s students—said, “I feel Darleen Sutton demonstrates qualities all teachers should endeavor to obtain. She is a gifted teacher who has a natural connection with students that promotes a love for knowledge. In the words of my child, ‘She’s AWESOME!’”

In the application for Simpson’s award, West End Elementary School principal Angie Rodgers said, “Students are Kela’s first priority. She is encouraging and supportive in all encounters with the children at our school. In summer school she was a creative, nurturing instructor as well as a dynamic leader … Kela knows that a parent is the child’s first teacher, and she teaches parents to maximize this great potential.”

Darleen Sutton will serve on the SDPC Teacher of the Year forum for the next two years and is eligible to apply for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year award, which will be announced later this school year.