APS honors 2010-11 Teachers of the Year; Brown Middle’s Belita Hamilton wins overall award

Pictured, top row from L-R: Leslie Harrell-Tumlin, Belita Hamilton, Wanda Brown-Cook; Dr. Kathy Augustine; Ann Cramer.
Middle row, from L-R: Urban Youth Harp Ensemble; various school teachers of the year; Tamara Cotman with Leslie Tumlin.
Bottom row, from L-R: Belita Hamilton; Randolph Bynum and Wanda Brown-Cook; Hilaire Anelone and Belita Hamilton.

UPDATE: Watch multi-media coverage including videos and photos here. Learn more about Belita Hamilton here, Leslie Harrell-Tumlin here and Wanda Brown-Cook here.

Atlanta Public Schools honored its 2010-11 three grade-level teachers of the year with a ceremony held Tuesday night at South Atlanta Educational Complex — with Brown Middle School math and science teacher Belita Hamilton winning the overall 2010-11 APS Teacher of the Year honor. (Watch her acceptance speech here.) Leslie Harrell-Tumlin, a fourth-grade teacher at Warren T. Jackson Elementary, was honored as the Elementary School Teacher of the Year; Hamilton was honored as the Middle School Teacher of the Year; and Wanda Brown-Cook, an English teacher at Carver’s School of the Arts, was honored as the High School Teacher of the Year.

As APS Teacher of the Year for 2010-11, Hamilton automatically becomes a candidate for Georgia Teacher of the Year, which will be decided later in the school year. Outside of the classroom, Hamilton coaches the award-winning Brown Middle School cheerleaders.

“Congratulations to the teachers of the year from every school and to the three finalists for district-wide teacher of the year,” said APS Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Kathy Augustine. “Thank you for looking our students in the eyes and making a difference in how they see the world and for using your unique power today to shape what they will become tomorrow.”

Catalina Sibilsky of APS’ Department of Learning Excellence presided over the ceremonies. The South Atlanta Educational Complex’s Color Guard presented the colors. Ann Cramer of the IBM Corporation served as keynote speaker. Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Kathy Augustine introduced the keynote speaker. The Urban Youth Harp Ensemble, directed by Carolyn Lund of Carver’s School of the Arts, performed at the event. The Atlanta Board of Education was represented by Chair Khaatim Sherrer El, Courtney English (who delivered greetings), Yolanda K. Johnson and Cecily Harsch-Kinnane.

The Teacher of the Year selection process is a rigorous one. Each teacher is nominated and selected by their peers from the school l evel. They’re required to submit a packet where they respond in writing to the following subjects — philosophy of education, discuss current issues and trends in education — describe how to improve the teaching profession, list their involvement in professional-development activities, and explain how they would serve as spokesperson for APS Teacher of the Year. They’re screened at the School Reform Team level and are interviewed at the semifinalist and finalist phases.  The last phase of the process is a classroom observation and a personal interview by central level staff members.

Each APS grade-level Teacher of the Year received tributes from some of their students as well as their SRT executive director at the ceremony. Tumlin received a tribute from Jackson Elementary students Claire Hadley Benton and Kourtney Tate as well as SRT-4 Executive Director Tamara Cotman. Hamilton received a tribute from Brown Middle students Seleema Gonzalez, Dwight Showers and DeVaughn Davis as well as SRT-1 Executive Director Sharon Davis Williams. Brown-Cook received a tribute from Carver School of the Arts students Taylor Jackson and Brooklyn Fite as well as Office of High Schools Executive Director Randolph Bynum.

Shirley Wright of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators presented the finalists with $100 gift certificates. Representatives from Coca-Cola Bottling Company provided engraved plaques to each Teacher of the Year throughout the district. School Box, Inc. gave $25 gift cards to the finalists. The Target Corporation provided each Teacher of the Year with a $50 gift card.

Complete list of the individual teachers of the year, by school reform team and then grade level, after the jump …

Teacher of the Year SRT Winners

SRT-1
Elementary Schools
Adamsville
Catherine Glover 

Beecher Hills
Kristin Horton

 Bethune
Carmen Williams

 Cascade
Tiffany Proctor

 Connally
Aria C. Rhenwrick

 Continental Colony
Chenita Jarrett

 Deerwood Academy
Tangee Peek

Fain
Cedric Carwise

Fickett
Tisha Young

Finch
Joya Florence

Herndon
Sujan Dass 

M.A. Jones
Ginneen Smith

 Kimberly
Sherelle Minter

Miles
Divya Kharod

Perkerson
Dorcas Muwandi

Peyton Forest
Karen Patterson

Venetian Hills
Valeria Fowlks

 West Manor
Francine Ferguson 

Middle Schools
Brown
Belita Hamilton

 Bunche
Antonio Proctor

 Kennedy
Fabrice Aime

 Sylvan
Tara Sealy

Young
Sandra Canterbury 

SRT-2
Elementary Schools

Benteen
Alexis Dimes-Smith 

Capitol View
Ericka White

 Cleveland
Starla Freeman

 Dobbs
Patricia MacNintch 

Dunbar
Oreta Taylor

Gideons
Tiljanda Byse 

Heritage Academy
Elizabeth Coyne 

Humphries
Lisa Garner Robinson

Hutchinson
Thelma Straker-Holder

Slater
Gwendolyn Taylor

D. H. Stanton
Allen Nichols 

Thomasville Heights
Quanda Frederick

 Middle Schools
Long
Andrea Adderly 

Parks
Nykole Hudson

Price
Melissa Davis

SRT-3
Elementary Schools
Burgess-Peterson
Lorraine McFadden 

Centennial Place
Sharhonda Davies 

Cook
Walter Mason

East Lake
Claudia Abboud 

Hope-Hill
Alicia Goodman

Lin
Jennifer Barry 

Morningside
Kelly Lecceardone 

Parkside
Ronnie Thomas

Springdale Park
Tiffany Blassingame 

Toomer
Jennifer Blow 

Whitefoord
Eunice Washington

 Middle Schools
Coan
Carla McCall 

Inman
Arneesa Woods 

King
Patricia Dunac

SRT-4
Elementary Schools
Bolton Academy
Pamela Bowman 

Boyd
Tiffany Momon 

Brandon
Susan Friedrichs 

Garden Hills
Janet Callum

Grove Park
Stephen Townsend 

Jackson
Leslie Tumlin 

Jackson Primary
Cori Snelson

Rivers
Courtney Benner

 Scott
Yvette Smith

 Smith
Kelly Petrello

F.L. Stanton
Rebecca Williams

Towns
Christina Hayes

Usher-Collier Heights
Brandon Cummings 

White
Danielle Carvil

Woodson
Chasity Gamble 

Middle Schools
Harper-Archer
Byron Purnell

Sutton
Natalie Colbert 

Turner
Charlotte Sanford 

Coretta Scott King Y.W.L.A.
Quiana Chambers 

B.E.S.T. Academy
Dwike Leonard

Office of High Schools
Carver – School of Technology
Katheryne Mosley 

Carver – School of Health Sciences & Research
Desiree Glover 

Carver – School of the Arts
Wanda Brown-Cook 

Crim Open Campus
Tiedra Hutchings-Hoskins

Douglass
Gleandell Waller 

Grady
Mario Herrera 

Maynard H. Jackson – Engineering Early College
Kirbi Thomas 

Maynard H. Jackson– Fine Arts & Media Communications
Tasha Allen 

Maynard H. Jackson – Information Technology
Tara Billingslea 

Mays
Jeremy Gainer 

North Atlanta
Lisa Oglesby 

South Atlanta – School of Computer Animation & Design
Buffy Johnson 

South Atlanta – School of Health & Medical Science
Cristy Wynn 

South Atlanta – School of Law & Government
Candace Moore 

Therrell – School of Technology, Engineering, Math & Science
Sarah Al-Husseini 

Therrell – School of Health Science & Research
Yvonne Pringle 

Therrell – School of Law
Sarah Talluri 

Washington – Banking, Finance & Investment
Ramona Anderson 

Washington – Early College
Tiffany Stembridge-Taylor

 Washington – Health Sciences & Research
Kimberly Moore

 Washington – Senior Academy
Kerry Alexander