Director Dr. Fernando Aker were all on hand to surprise Smith and hand him the award.
“I am honored to be selected for the Teacher of the Year,” said Smith, a 2015 honor graduate of Putnam County High School. “This honor is even more impactful being from this town. I love my hometown and the growth I have seen in all my students. I also want to say thank you to everyone who provided me with words of wisdom throughout my career.”
Smith now teaches in the same PCMS classroom where he learned about science as a young student and daily sees some of his past teachers in the hallways. Smith went on to earn The Little Theatre at Putnam County Middle School (PCMS) was filled with faculty, staff and all 8th-grade students Nov. 18, in a ruse to lure 8th-grade science teacher Michael Smith down the hall. Upon entering the doors, Smith was welcomed with a standing ovation and then presented with the prestigious 2022-23 District Teacher of the Year (TOTY) award, a $1,000 check, a basket of goodies, and sweet treats for his class.
Putnam County Charter School Superintendent Eric Arena, Assistant Superintendents Derick Austin and Laura Melton, and Human Resources a Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Education with a concentration in Science and Math when he graduated with the Marti Shriver honor in 2019 from Georgia Southern University. He then continued his education, earning a Master of Education in Instructional Technology this past May and is now working toward his specialist degree.
Smith had already been honored the day before (Nov. 17) as his school’s selection alongside three other representatives at the annual Teacher of the Year banquet, where Abby Brame, Angela Lawson and Derrick Arrington were named Putnam County Teachers of the Year for primary, elementary, and high schools, respectively.
Brame, an Auburn University graduate, is a kindergarten teacher at Putnam County Primary School (PCPS), is on the school’s leadership team and has been chosen to sit in an instructional leadership class for the district.
In a previous role, her classroom was selected as a Georgia Pre-K Quality Tour Site. At PCPS, Brame places great value in student relationships. She feels her utmost priority is to create a classroom environment where student equity and social emzotional learning are valued.
Lawson, a fourthgrade science and social studies teacher at Putnam County Elementary School PCES, has a passion for innovative teaching strategies. She has degrees from GMC and Georgia College & State University and dual certifications in Early Childhood Education and Interrelated Special Education.
She has been with PCES almost 10 years and has been a team leader, host teacher for the PCCSS Teacher Development Program, a mentor teacher for GCSU students, and was a member of the Teacher Leadership Academy.
Arrington is a Putnam County High School math teacher with a primary focus on Algebra 1 for 9th graders. He holds a bachelors from Columbus State, masters from Valdosta State University, and will complete his specialist degree this December from Augusta State University.
Arrington’s approach to teaching is to meet students where they are with the goal of getting them to where they need to be. His students all speak about his willingness to help and his knack for making math exciting and fun.
– Contributed