Heavy rush-hour rains couldn’t dampen the spirit Wednesday evening at Music City Center as MNPS celebrated its Teachers of the Year, Support Employees of the Year, and Principals of the Year with awards, photos, and music.
More than 130 building-level Teacher of the Year winners, along with top support employees and principals, gathered with their family members, principals, and district leaders for the event.
“The work you do both in and out of your classrooms every day, the effort you make, the hours you put in, the commitment you show: It is truly amazing,” Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle told the winning teachers.
“At the same time, support employees are doing critical work behind the scenes every day to make sure our teachers, students, their families and other employees have what they need. Meanwhile, principals make sure it all comes together day after day so that teaching and learning can happen in a safe and healthy environment.”
Tayla Brown, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Cambridge Early Learning Center in Antioch, was named the overall MNPS Teacher of the Year. The other eight finalists for Teacher of the Year include:
- Elementary school teachers: Meghan Bell, Crieve Hall Elementary; Allison Marlow, Paragon Mills Elementary
- Middle school teachers: Rachael Begarly, Croft Middle; Preston Weaver, Antioch Middle; Kenton Wesby, Isaac Litton Middle
- High school teachers: Caroline Brooks Dubois, Nashville School of the Arts; Princess Gordon-Aziz, Nashville Big Picture High School; Meredith Lavigne, Pearl-Cohn High School
The district also celebrated its Support Employees of the Year and Principals of the Year:
Support Employees of the Year include Lakisa Dobbins, Exceptional Education paraprofessional, Whites Creek High School; Howard Kiger, tutor, John Overton High School; and Joy Pillow-Jones, Community Achieves site manager, Jones Paideia Elementary School.
Principals of the year include: Latoya Cobb, Amqui Elementary School; Dr. Rommie Vasser Jr., Rose Park Middle School; and Dr. Brenda Diaz, Nashville Big Picture High School.
The other six finalists for Principal of the Year include:
- Elementary school principals: Brenda Steele, Old Center Elementary; James Urquhart, Norman Binkley Elementary
- Middle school principals: Dr. Trellaney Lane, Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts; Dr. Jeremy Lewis, Croft Middle
- High school principals: Dr. Henry Johnson, W.A. Bass Learning Center; Susan Siegel, Murrell at Glenn School
