BCSD OCTOBER PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
Congratulations to the following employees who are the October 2023 recipients of the Pursuit of Excellence Award for the Baldwin County School District.
Sarah Clegg
Music Teacher at Midway Hills Primary
Ms. Clegg is working in her 3rd year for the Baldwin County School District. Ms. Cleg currently works as a Music Teacher at Midway Hills Primary. She was nominated by her colleague, Mandy Hopkins.
Ms. Hopkins had the following to say, “Ms. Clegg has worked so hard to build relationships with both teachers and students. Not only is she a music teacher for all of our primary students, but she pushes into one of our second grade classrooms to support the teacher and her students. Ms. Clegg is always willing to learn more about reading and math strategies to help the students. This year she has taken the initiative to learn how to take the best readers and challenge them with learning multisyllabic words and reading chapter books. It is easy to see that Ms. Clegg is enjoying this instructional role and making a difference by pushing these students to achieve their fullest potential. She is a role model in our school, and we appreciate her willingness to learn more and do whatever it takes to help our learners. Ms. Clegg is so much more than our music teacher. She is the best of the best!”
Ms. Clegg, thank you for being the epitome of excellence!
Karly Lance
Creative Writing Instructor at Midway Hills Academy
Mrs. Lance is working in her 5th year for the Baldwin County School District. She currently works as the Creative Writing Instructor at Midway Hills Academy. Mrs. Lance was nominated by her colleague, Stephanie Coxwell.
Ms. Coxwell had the following to say, “Karley Lance is an innovative, outside the box teacher. She is creative in engaging the students so that they enjoy learning. Ms. Lance created our MHA "Chicken Club", "Chicken Tenders", and incorporates our growing initiatives into her creative writing classes so that students aren't just researching and seeing nature online but right in our backyard. She involves tending the school chickens and garden into her writing which later branches off into other standards-based writing and reading activities. Ms. Lance creates a warm and welcome learning environment so students feel at ease to share experiences with each other and safe sharing ideas or thoughts. She also seeks to build relationships with students by having them write biographies and sharing experiences with their classmates. This also benefits students as they find new ways to connect with each other. Ms. Lance enriches students with real world experiences that reach across other enrichment classes as well. This is evident in writing activities that involve our enrichment classes' pet lizards. Students are prompted to compare and contrast her crested gecko "Thor" with STEAM's bearded dragon "Loki". Ms. Lance is always willing to collaborate with those around her, going above and beyond to share resources she has found for others. She wholeheartedly enjoys helping students and staff daily seeking out opportunities to lend a hand without even being asked. She does this because she's kind and caring, always wanting what is best for those in our community. I could write a book on a million little things that Karley Lance does daily to illustrate her deserving this recognition but her actions in and around our school speaks volumes. ”
Mrs. Lance, thank you for being a model of excellence!
Deeanna May
Instructional Coach at Lakeview Primary
Mrs. May is working in her 3rd year for the Baldwin County School district. She currently works as the Instructional Coach at Lakeview Primary. Mrs. May was nominated by her colleague, Baileigh Williamson.
Ms. Williamson had the following to say, “Mrs. May makes sure all teachers feel prepared and successful. Mrs. May provides feedback that benefits both the teachers and students. Her heart is so big and she shows it daily, even if she has a lot going on. My students get so excited to see her in the hall. Mrs. May goes above and beyond what her job title is. I don't know how I would have made it through my first year of teaching without her help. Thank you for all you do, Mrs. May!”
Mrs. May, thank you for being a model of excellence!
Heather O’Neill
District Front Office Administrative Assistant
Mrs. O’Neill is working in her second year for the Baldwin County School District. Mrs. O”Neill works as the Front Office Administrative Assistant at our Central Office. She was nominated by her colleague, Shonya Mapp.
Ms. Mapp had the following to say, “Ms. Heather O'Neill is heroic, courageous, and confident. She is an individual who has a desire to achieve success. Her work ethics shows that she is hard-working, dependable and reliable, and she is always ready to tackle new challenges. Within her role as the Front Desk Administrative Assistant for the Baldwin County Board of Education, she is the first person who you will see upon entering the building. Within her role, she not only provides support to the staff at the board office, she provides support to parents, students, and also support to our staff members throughout the district. She also provides support to members of our community and she does it so graciously and with a smile. Mrs. O'Neill approaches any assigned tasks and projects consistently and she is always willing to work with anyone. She is a great communicator, a great organizer, she is efficient and most of all she is creative. Overall, she is a reliable employee who consistently delivers high-quality work. We thank her for always taking an initiative to lend a helping hand whenever and wherever she is needed. Ms. O'Neill is a passionate employee who exhibits resilience, and she always inspires others to achieve excellence.”
Mrs. O’Neill, thank you for being a shining example of excellence!