North Hartsville’s Lisa Rix named district Teacher of the Year

Lisa Rix said she never expected to be named Darlington County School District Teacher of the Year.

“I am shocked,” the fourth-grade teacher at North Hartsville Elementary School said after being awarded the district’s top honor for teachers.

“I’m thankful, and I’m proud to represent this county in this way. To be honored this way is wonderful.”

Rix was named district 2009 Teacher of the Year during the annual Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet at the Lawton Park Pavilion Thursday.

“It feels very overwhelming but very exciting,” Rix said. “I had no idea.”

Jennifer O’Shesky, a third-grade teacher from Brunson-Dargan Elementary School in Darlington was named Outstanding First Year Teacher for the district for 2009.

A teacher for 13 years, Rix began her career teaching learning-disabled students in a small rural school in Hollywood, S.C. She has taught at North Hartsville for the past three years.

During her first two years at North Hartsville, she taught students with learning disabilities. Now, she teaches students of all abilities.

Rix’s principal, Kristi D. Austin, wasn’t surprised at the award.

“She is just wonderful. She’s truly an advocate for children,” Austin said. “She makes every child feel involved. She’s a model for excellence for other teachers. She’s going to be state Teacher of the Year. She can compete with the best in the world.”

As Teacher of the Year, Rix will serve as chair of the district’s Teacher Forum, working directly with Superintendent of Education Dr. Rainey Knight and administrative staff on issues that affect teachers. She will also represent teachers on local and state committees and will represent the district at State Teacher Forum functions throughout the year.

She will also compete for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year title.

“Tonight, we celebrate excellence in teaching,” Knight said in announcing this year’s Teacher of the Year recipient. That excellence, she said, is characterized by compassion for students, enthusiasm for learning and commitment to quality.

“I truly believe the most important factor in a child’s education is the teacher,” Knight said.

“Darlington County School District is filled with dedicated teachers willing to walk the extra mile for their students,” Knight said. “These teachers go beyond teaching facts; instead, they instill in their young charges a love of learning, a sense of self and a desire to achieve. Through innovative methods and proven teaching techniques, these educators are touching lives and shaping our future.”

“You have raised the bar for your colleagues,” Knight told the audience of teachers. “Never forget the importance of the small things that you do.”

Rix holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University and a Master’s of Education degree from the College of Charleston.

She and her husband, Todd, live in Hartsville with their two sons.

The district’s Teacher of the Year program is aimed at honoring and awarding those teachers who exceed expectations to provide meaningful and rewarding learning experiences to their students. It is dedicated to all teachers who work diligently every day for their students.

The school district has named a district Teacher of the Year every year since 1986.

The district Teacher of the Year is selected from among the Teachers of the Year for each of the district’s 23 schools.

Candidates for the award participate in a rigorous selection process. A team of judges narrows the field of candidates down to five finalists, who then participate in an intensive interview session that includes a videotaped review of their classroom skills.

Based on the interviews, the judges select the district honoree. The remaining four finalists become Honor Roll Teachers, who are members and leaders of the district’s Teacher Leadership council for the next two years.

School-level Teachers of the Year make up the district’s Teacher Forum.

Both the Teacher Forum and the Leadership Council members participate in leadership opportunities throughout the year as well as represent their schools at a variety of functions.

The 2009 -2010 Honor Roll Teachers are Kim Haynes, a math teacher from Darlington Middle School; Kristen Nicholson, a reading interventionist from Spaulding Middle School in Lamar; Jill Rogers, a fifth-grade teacher from Brockington Elementary Magnet School in Darlington; and Zakiyyah Stroman, a biology teacher from Darlington High School.

O’Shesky was selected from among 11 other candidates for Outstanding First Year Teacher.

As this year’s Outstanding First Year Teacher honoree, O’Shesky will serve on the Leadership Council and will have additional teacher leadership opportunities.

O’Shesky is a graduate of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., Bachelor of Arts degree in group social studies.

The Outstanding First Year Teacher award recognizes teachers who have excelled and flourished during their first year of teaching and who have demonstrated leadership in their schools and professionalism in their classrooms.

A panel of judges made up of Honor Roll teachers and a former Outstanding First Year Teacher narrowed the field of 12 nominees down to three finalists based on essays written by the candidates. The two other finalists were Angela Weathers from Carolina Elementary School in Hartsville and Elizabeth Moloney from Spaulding Elementary School in Lamar.

The Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet is made possible annually through the sponsorship of Goz and Pat Segars and Prudential Segars Realty. In addition, Josten’s donates a custom-designed Darlington County School District Teacher of the Year ring for the recipient each year.