Lexington One Names 5 Finalists for Teacher of the Year

Five Lexington One teachers are finalists for the district's Teacher of the Year award. 

They are: Mary B. Carpenter, Kimberly E. Freeman, Jennifer E. Jones, Jessica L. Keisler and A. Beth Klaes.

Mary Carpenter teaches seventh- and eighth-grade English language arts classes at Pleasant Hill Middle. An educator for 18 years, Carpenter holds a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary communication education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and is National Board Certified in early adolescence English language arts.

A world language teacher, Kimberly Freeman teaches Latin to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Lexington Middle and to students from across the district virtually. Freeman, with eight years of experience, began teaching in 2004 after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in education with a classical languages concentration from Furman University.

Pleasant Hill Elementary’s Jennifer Jones has taught for 13 years. Currently a third-grade teacher, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Calhoun Honors College at Clemson University and a master’s degree in elementary education with a focus in reading from Clemson University. Jones is National Board Certified in middle childhood education.

Jessica Keisler currently teaches mathematics at Pelion Middle but also taught English language arts during her seven years as an educator. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and psychology from Charleston Southern University and a master’s degree in education from the University of South Carolina. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in educational leadership at USC.

An anatomy and physiology teacher at Lexington High, Beth Klaes has taught for 16 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from College of Charleston and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in biology from the University of South Carolina.

In October, certified staff at each Lexington One school chose a 2012–2013 school-level Teacher of the Year. Those school-level Teachers of the Year completed written applications, which were judged by five teams of judges. The applications with the top 10 scores were then judged by a different team of six judges.

In the coming weeks, another panel of seven judges will spend a day observing the finalists as they teach and interviewing them.

The district will announce its new District Teacher of the Year on April 18 at an evening celebration honoring all school-level Teachers of the Year at the Lexington One Performing Arts Center.

Submitted by Lexington One.