The Wadesboro Rotary Club honored Teachers of the Year from each school in Anson County during the club’s meeting last Thursday.

The Wadesboro Rotary Club gave out Teacher of the Year awards to deserving local educators from each school during its meeting last Thursday.

Schools Superintendent Michael Freeman said each teacher deserved the recognition. “A teacher has an awesome job, because they become a mother, father, counselor, nurse, friend, coach, encourager, academic, and nurturer, as they attempt to teach each and every child,” he said.

Freeman also recognized the local Rotary Club. “It’s gotten to the point that I honestly don’t know what we’d do without them. They’re constantly working on a grant, project, volunteering, and supporting our many programs,” he said.

Jessica Conklin was given the award for Ansonville Elementary School. The school’s principal, Toby McLaurin, praised the teacher highly. He recalled Conklin interviewing for the job just days before school started and accepting the job while six or seven months pregnant. “It was without a shadow of a doubt; there was no need to interview anyone else, she blew me out of the water with her knowledge,” McLaurin said. “And the thing that really jumped at me about her was her genuine love for children in general.” He praised her for building relationships with both students and their parents.

Ashley Moss was recognized as the Teacher of the Year at Peachland-Polkton Elementary School. Travis Stegall, principal of the school, said, “She is somebody that I depend on and rely on very heavily advice ,for leadership, even though she is young, to everybody on staff,” he said. Moss drives to school from Mint Hill every day. “We don’t have a lot of teachers that would be willing to do that, but she makes that long trip every day and it’s because of her passion for her kids and for all of the kids in the community.”

Bonnie McMurray was named the Teacher of the Year for Anson Early College High School. “Even though I’ve only been with her one year so far, I have to say I’ve been very impressed,” school principal Carrie Decker said of her. “There is a passion for teaching, there is a passion for kids, and you can honestly tell that she loves what she does. She comes to school with a smile on her face every morning and she is so pleasant to be around. And honestly, I love being in her classroom. I love going in there and participating and working with the kids because it’s so engaging and just a great environment.”

Kristen Usrey was named the Teacher of the Year for Wadesboro Primary School. Principal Betsy Ammons said that Usrey is working on her master’s degree in counseling and has been academically successful as well as an asset in the classroom. “As a first-grade teacher, she is a wonderful, passionate young lady,” Ammons said. “Her relationship with her students, her know-how to use teaching strategies to meet their needs, strengths and weaknesses, and then those strategies, like I said, that usually come to a more seasoned teacher, she’s right on it for best practices.” Usrey was voted Teacher of the Year at her school after only four years of teaching — an impressive feat at her school, Ammons said, saying that the award is not easy to get.

Monica Stokes received the award for Lilesville Elementary School. Marisa Dutton Phillips, principal of LES, noted that Stokes travels nearly one and a half hours from Camden, S.C. every day to teach. “She has really grown as a leader since I’ve been at Lilesville Elementary School,” Dutton said. “She has faced a giant, which was technology, but she is overcoming the use of that. She’s teaching students about facing their fears, and being in uncomfortable places, and how to overcome that.” Her students have been able to take math strategies she has taught to learn new concepts, Dutton said.

Carol Blackwell was recognized for Morven Elementary School. School principal Joslyn Allen said Blackwell, a third-grade teacher, has taught her class respect. “She does command that presence from her students, whether it’s kindergarten, first grade, third grade,” Allen said. “And also whenever her students go to the media center, if I don’t look at the clock I don’t know they’re in the hall — they’re just that quiet.” The students are very respectful. “They know she has expectations, and they follow them,” Allen said.

Jennifer Buccolo took the honor for Anson High School. Chad Murphy, the school’s principal, said Buccolo is an English teacher who primarily teaches seniors and AP courses, and is also the department chair. “She is someone who is looked upon by many teachers as a role model, somebody who can bring lots to the table,” Murphy said. “She’s a team player, leads, and I lean on her… she makes my job easier, and her curriculum knowledge and everything is just great.”

John Martin took the award for Anson Middle School. Like the other principals, Josh McLaurin had only praise for his Teacher of the Year. Martin has “great classroom management, positive relationships with the kids — the attitude that he brings to work every day makes a difference,” McLaurin said. “To us, our Teacher of the Year is not only a teacher, it should also be a teacher leader. Mr. Martin is one of the people who leads in our school, he leads every day. When I first came to Anson Middle, he was one of the people the staff said you need to lean on.” McLaurin took their advice. “We lean on him every day, constantly. He does everything. He thinks about what we can do to help kids. Every decision is made for the best interest of the kids, and that’s what a great teacher does.”

Blaine Maples was given the honor for Anson New Technology High School. “She’s been with me for eight years, ever since we started the school,” principal Chris Stinson said. “She’s a teacher leader as well. She teaches students with a specialty in math, and what I mean by that is she teaches the whole child, not just the math side. Ms. Maples has trained other New Techs in Louisiana, she’s trained schools in North Carolina in doing project-based learning, she’s a certified PBL instructor, a trainer instructor, a lead teacher at New Tech. When I need someone to problem-solve, I lean on her a lot.”

Dora Mungo received the award for Wadesboro Elementary School. Principal Willie Owens said Mungo is not only a good teacher, but a good person: a mother of four, grandmother of 13, and a member of New Beginning Baptist Church. Mungo was unanimously voted as the Teacher of the Year at her school. “She has been teaching for more than 30 years, of which part of her years of service were in South Carolina,” Owens said. “She went to South Carolina because she couldn’t get a job in North Carolina, but never gave up on North Carolina or Anson County. She’s been in Anson County for approximately 17 years. She’s been at Wadesboro Elementary for approximately 15 years, and for that I am very thankful, because were it not for her, we would not have achieved the honor that we did achieve last year on our end-of-grade testing.”

During this week’s meeting, Rotary will give the remaining awards to Annie Jackson, a N.C. Pre-K teacher at Central Head Start, Karen Gerald, an N.C. Pre-K teacher at Morven Elementary School, and Amber McCraw from South Piedmont Community College.