2021 South Carolina Honor Roll Teachers
Each year South Carolina selects five finalists for State Teacher of the Year. Their contributions are celebrated at the South Carolina Teacher of the Year Banquet. Honor Roll Teachers work closely with the SC Teacher of the Year to promote teacher leadership and advocacy throughout the year.
Ashley Bennett - Spartanburg Four
Teaching is more than an occupation to Ashley Bennett, it is a calling. A calling that began when she was just a little girl and continues after 15 years of service. She has found teaching and students to be her passion and purpose. She views her job as a mission field full of opportunities to impart and share her passion for math and middle school students. Ashley loves pedagogy and considers herself a life-long learner of the art of teaching. She was awarded the Betty D. White State Educator of the Year award for her work in agriculture education and continues to strive to improve her craft through an Ed.S degree in Literacy and National Board certification in Early Adolescence Mathematics. She loves collaborating with her colleagues and integrating methods in her classroom that address the needs of the whole child. Whether she is integrating literacy methods into her mathematics instruction or developing social and emotional learning through brain breaks and practicing mindfulness in her classroom, she considers herself a student-centered teacher whose concern goes beyond curriculum and content. Ashley realizes relationships are the key to impacting students academically and socially and considers her greatest accomplishment to be inspiring her students to become educators themselves.
Shawn Norris - Richland One
Shawn Norris is a kindergarten through fifth grade Physical Education teacher at Satchel Ford Elementary School in Richland County School District One. He received a bachelors in athletic training/physical education, a master's in physical education, and a master's in education administration from the University of South Carolina. Shawn is National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, Physical Education certified and has been teaching for twenty years.
“Shawn Norris is a humble, caring person and an outstanding educator with a passion for working with kids and building meaningful relationships with them,” said Richland One superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon. “Through physical education, he not only teaches his students the importance of being healthy and physically fit, but he also imparts valuable life lessons like how to dream big and set high goals for themselves, not being afraid to make mistakes, doing their best in whatever they do and not giving up. Shawn has represented Richland One and our talented team of teachers with distinction this year as our Teacher of the Year, and we are excited and proud that he is being recognized at the state level. We believe he would be an excellent ambassador and advocate for teachers across the Palmetto State.”
While teaching in Richland One, concerned with the increasing obesity rates among school-aged children, he initiated two district wide programs – The Footprint Challenge and the District Fitness Bowl – aimed at increasing cardiovascular fitness among the school population and creating a healthier school culture as a whole. Shawn has received the Meritorious Program Award from the National Youth Sports Program as well as the DHEC All-Health Team & Gold Award. Shawn sees Physical Education as an ideal medium to impart critical life skills to his students. He employs cooperation and social responsibility activities in his instruction that enable students to tap into their potential and develop into confident, well-rounded, socially mature individuals. A struggling upbringing, which he shares with many of his students, and his abiding faith led him to his decision to become an educator. He believes that every child is born with unique talents and abilities and that teachers are vessels who help them uncover and maximize those abilities while gear them toward always expecting excellence.
“Shawn Norris is a humble, caring person and an outstanding educator with a passion for working with kids and building meaningful relationships with them,” said Richland One superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon. “Through physical education, he not only teaches his students the importance of being healthy and physically fit, but he also imparts valuable life lessons like how to dream big and set high goals for themselves, not being afraid to make mistakes, doing their best in whatever they do and not giving up. Shawn has represented Richland One and our talented team of teachers with distinction this year as our Teacher of the Year, and we are excited and proud that he is being recognized at the state level. We believe he would be an excellent ambassador and advocate for teachers across the Palmetto State.”
While teaching in Richland One, concerned with the increasing obesity rates among school-aged children, he initiated two district wide programs – The Footprint Challenge and the District Fitness Bowl – aimed at increasing cardiovascular fitness among the school population and creating a healthier school culture as a whole. Shawn has received the Meritorious Program Award from the National Youth Sports Program as well as the DHEC All-Health Team & Gold Award. Shawn sees Physical Education as an ideal medium to impart critical life skills to his students. He employs cooperation and social responsibility activities in his instruction that enable students to tap into their potential and develop into confident, well-rounded, socially mature individuals. A struggling upbringing, which he shares with many of his students, and his abiding faith led him to his decision to become an educator. He believes that every child is born with unique talents and abilities and that teachers are vessels who help them uncover and maximize those abilities while gear them toward always expecting excellence.
Tanya Peckham- Sumter District
Growing up in a home where the importance of school was emphasized, and with parents who were actively involved in her education had a profound effect on Tanya's decision to become a teacher. As part of a military family growing up, she had the opportunity to live in different areas and enjoy many unique educational experiences, with each move allowing her to sample a variety of cultural and ethnic environments, further fostering her love of learning.
Tanya has been an educator for 20 years, earning her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 1994, and a master’s degree in Elementary Education in 2005, both from the University of Rhode Island. As an active duty military spouse, she has taught in several states, including Rhode Island, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, and North Carolina. She has been selected campus Teacher of the Year at four of the five schools she has taught. Most of her career has been spent teaching first and second grade. This year she is excited to move into the Instructional Coach position, working closely with her teaching colleagues to improve student achievement. She has also served as the Assistant Principal of an Elementary School in the Kingdom of Bahrain, while her family was stationed overseas in the Middle East for two years. Her husband is a U.S. Army Officer, and they have 3 sons and 1 daughter.
She feels that her greatest contributions to education include meeting the needs of her classroom’s diverse learners, creating a positive learning environment for her students, providing memorable, engaging, hands-on learning experiences, and collaborating and mentoring other educators to grow and develop into strong, effective teachers. She incorporates a variety of teaching styles and emphasizes positive reinforcement, teaching her students that mistakes are learning opportunities. She establishes a solid classroom community of learners, where students have numerous opportunities to share their ideas and work collaboratively with others. When she thinks of the over 375 young children she has helped to become great readers and future world leaders, she realizes the profound impact teachers have. Receiving positive messages and updates from previous students and parents detailing the important influence she has had on their children’s early learning years, confirms that she chose the right profession, and she is confident she has made a difference in so many young lives. She feels fortunate to be able to do something she loves every day, even when it is challenging. Her favorite quote is “Teaching isn’t my job, it’s my passion. Getting better at it, that’s my job!”
Rick Whitmore - York School District 1
During his ten years as a restaurant manager/trainer, Rick Whitmore had always envisioned himself as a teacher. Therefore, in 2002, he made a life-changing decision to fulfill that vision. Having already earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a concentration in Spanish from The Ohio State University, he decided to parlay his knowledge and love of the Spanish language into a teaching career. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has been National Board certified since 2011.
Once he entered the classroom in 2004, Rick knew he had made the right decision. In his instruction of Spanish, he focuses on language acquisition rather than language learning. This is achieved by combining innovative, data-driven strategies with the intentional development of a strong rapport with students. Rick believes that, in order to make use of acquired knowledge, students must possess the necessary soft skills to communicate effectively in the world. Educators must not only model such skills, but they also must create opportunities for students to develop integrity, work ethic and perseverance, improve their interpersonal skills, and acquire a global perspective.
Over and above his outstanding pedagogical skills, Rick has proven to be a strong school, district, and state teacher-leader. He has successfully started and led the first AP Spanish programs at two high schools, as well as served as the AP Spanish Master Teacher for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He has been the School Leadership Team Chairperson at two high schools, restarted a defunct PTA, co-founded his school’s first GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance), and created a Freshmen Mentoring Program to help middle school students experience a smoother transition to high school. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors in both North Carolina and South Carolina for Partners of the Americas, facilitating student exchanges and hosting teachers-in-residence from Colombia and Bolivia.
Once he entered the classroom in 2004, Rick knew he had made the right decision. In his instruction of Spanish, he focuses on language acquisition rather than language learning. This is achieved by combining innovative, data-driven strategies with the intentional development of a strong rapport with students. Rick believes that, in order to make use of acquired knowledge, students must possess the necessary soft skills to communicate effectively in the world. Educators must not only model such skills, but they also must create opportunities for students to develop integrity, work ethic and perseverance, improve their interpersonal skills, and acquire a global perspective.
Over and above his outstanding pedagogical skills, Rick has proven to be a strong school, district, and state teacher-leader. He has successfully started and led the first AP Spanish programs at two high schools, as well as served as the AP Spanish Master Teacher for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He has been the School Leadership Team Chairperson at two high schools, restarted a defunct PTA, co-founded his school’s first GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance), and created a Freshmen Mentoring Program to help middle school students experience a smoother transition to high school. In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors in both North Carolina and South Carolina for Partners of the Americas, facilitating student exchanges and hosting teachers-in-residence from Colombia and Bolivia.
