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Most Outstanding Beginning Teachers of the Year
The beginning of a teaching career can be filled with excitement and fear, successes and challenges, and joy and tears. This year Durham Public Schools introduced the Most Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year award to recognize the extra effort beginning teachers put in to make their first few years successful.
A teacher at each level was awarded the top prize. These teachers are:
- Tiffany Rouse, Bethesda Elementary
- Matthew Hickson, Neal Middle
- Hannah McMillan, J.D. Clement Early College High
Tiffany Rouse is in her second year of teaching fifth grade at Bethesda Elementary School. With her focus on engaging her students through a variety of techniques, Rouse makes sure that her students can connect and relate to the subject they are learning.
“My ultimate goal as a teacher is to provide students with high quality instructions that meets their individual needs,” wrote Rouse in her application. “To that end, I strive not only to share my knowledge, but to ignite in students a passion for learning that will last a lifetime.”
Rouse has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from North Carolina Central University
Matthew Hickson, an eighth-grade science teacher at Neal Middle School, brings to teaching the ability to look beyond a student’s past performance in school and teach the whole child to help them raise their own expectations.
“I believe meeting Durham’s goals for achievement and school engagement will require teachers to build this sort of environment by embracing relationships that go beyond the classroom, teaching beyond the curriculum, and modeling growth, grit, and giving,” wrote Hickson. “I try to do this every day in my teaching.”
Hickson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Hannah McMillan, a history and freshman seminar teacher at J.D. Clement Early College High School, sees herself as an advocate for her students. She strives to prepare them for life past high school and to be successful in whatever path they choose, whether college, the workforce or the military.
McMillan wrote, “I fill my hours building relationships, crafting relevant and rigorous lessons, and preparing my students for the present and future. I will walk out of my school filled with a renewed commitment to align my practices with district initiatives, confident that each of my students can achieve their fullest potential.”
McMillan earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill.
The finalists for the award were:
Elementary Most Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year Finalists
Kristi Allred, Club Boulevard Elementary
Brandon Daniel, Burton Elementary
Middle School Most Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year Finalists
Caitlin Donavan, Lakewood Montessori Middle
Kelly Morrissey, Carrington Middle
High School Most Outstanding Beginning Teacher of the Year Finalists
Jessica Friedlander, Riverside High
David Kayler, Northern High