Unsung Educator 2024-2025
The "Unsung Educator of the Week" is a weekly honor given to a CCSD educator. The winner is nominated by a peer because of their determination to go above and beyond for our students. The winner for the week is published each Friday in the CCSD All Staff newsletter.
CCSD employees may submit nominees via this link or by emailing a name, description, and photo to stephen_wyatt@charleston.k12.sc.us
"Kay Johnson has been a teacher for 44 years. Currently, she teaches PLTW Biomedical Innovations and Principles of PLTW Biomedical Science. She was the lead advisor for Wando's National Honor Society. She served as a school-based mentor for many years and worked with 1st-year teachers.
She is the Team Captain for her CAS House group. She has been teaching Early-Bird classes each year and does everything with a smile. Her students love her and want to be in her class. She is kind, easy to talk to, and always makes everyone she speaks with feel important. Her positive attitude resonates with the people she works with on a daily basis. She is highly dedicated to her school, her students, her family, and her community.
Outside of school, she is active with her church, First Baptist, here in Mt. Pleasant. She has been an active board member for her neighborhood HOA." -- nominated by a colleague
"Last week there was a life-threatening medical emergency at Angel Oak Elementary School. A student became unresponsive and required CPR. This is the type of event that we prepare for but hope that we never have to encounter it in our schools.
The team at AOES was well prepared.
In fact, MUSC Project Adam had just certified them as a HeartSafe School by completing AED drills with Tara Lawson. School nurses have designed Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (CERPs) for their individual schools.
This proactive measure helps to identify the needs and response of the nurse, first responders and administration in emergency situations. This well-oiled machine was prepared and ready to jump into action.
AOES school nurse, Wendy White, led the team by starting CPR and having the AED ready if indicated.
These lifesaving actions have led to a positive outcome and the student is set to return to the classroom before fall break.
We are so thankful to Nurse Wendy and the AOES First Responder team! " -- nominated by Ellen Nitz, Director of Nursing
Jessica Pisani, Resource Teacher at Springfield Elementary School
"Jessica Pisani is an amazing resource teacher!
She works hard to meet the needs of all of her students. She collaborates with homeroom teachers frequently to make sure her students are successful. She rarely takes a planning period and is always checking on her students and supports them wherever necessary.
She has a great rapport with her students and families. In addition to her amazing work during the week, she is also on the Board of Directors for The Charleston Miracle League and supports the league every weekend!" -- nominated by a colleague
Heather Inman, 10th Grade English Teacher at R.B. Stall High School.
"Heather Inman is an educator who exemplifies the belief that "Students are the Heart of Our Work" and she demonstrates key characteristics and actions that show deep commitment to her students' well-being and success. She exhibits empathy by always considering students’ unique backgrounds and needs, especially when working with multilingual students. She goes the extra mile to ensure that language barriers are minimized, making learning more accessible and providing encouragement to boost students' confidence.
Her actions foster an inclusive environment both in the classroom and on the volleyball court, where every student feels valued and understood. She prioritizes mental health by checking in with students regularly, offering support, and encouraging healthy coping strategies during stressful periods, such as during tough practices or academic challenges. She has a caring nature, and coupled with a focus on students’ holistic development—academically, emotionally, and physically—helps build trust and rapport, making students feel at the center of her work.
By merging her passion for coaching and teaching with a genuine interest in each student's personal growth, she reinforces the idea that her student's success and well-being are the core of everything she does." -- nominated by a colleague
Michael McAdoo -Eighth Grade Teacher at Laing Middle School
"When Hurricane Helene destroyed large swaths of the Western North Carolina Region, Michael, an avid camper and 8th Grade History Teacher, knew he needed to help support relief efforts in the region he loved so well. He immediately organized a food and supply drive at Laing Middle School.
Over the course of a week, enough supplies came in to fill his large cargo trailer, which Michael drove to Statesville, NC to help with Operation Drop, a helicopter and airplane effort to get supplies into stranded regions.
Upon arrival, they were overwhelmed with gratitude and asked him to consider driving further up the mountain to drop the supplies directly into Ashe County, NC. He heeded the call and after 15 hours driving, successfully distributed all of the supplies the families of Laing and surrounding communities generously donated." -- nominated by a colleague
Viola Mitchell, Kindergarten Assistant
Sanders-Clyde Creative Arts School
"Ms. Mitchell has been a dedicated employee of CCSD for over 30 years (all 30 years at Sanders-Clyde).
She is the epitome of what I call a dedicated employee. She comes to work each and every day on time and from start to finish. She is always going above and beyond for her students.
Ms. Mitchell is more than a teacher assistant, she is what I call a superwoman. She knows her students' strengths and weaknesses. She always volunteers her time to Sanders-Clyde through tutoring and mentoring. She also works beyond school hours at the Kaleidoscope program.
I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Mitchell when I moved to Charleston 15 years ago at Sanders-Clyde. She is one of those teachers you don't have to tell them what to do, she just does it without complaining.
Students are always the heart of her work. This is evident because every year I was there, I watched how adults whose children now attend Sanders-Clyde come in and say "Ms. Mitchell you still here!" and "Ms. Mitchell, I want you to teach my child!"
She deserves this recognition and many more.
-- nominated by a former colleague
Megan Reilly, Physical Education teacher at Northwoods Middle School
"Coach Reilly does so much to keep our school amazing! She organizes and plans so many different activities for our students and staff that improve our school's morale and make Northwoods a fun and exciting place to be.
In addition to everything extra she does, Coach Reilly is a FORCE for physical education.
She runs a tight ship in her gym and spends plenty of free, unpaid time developing our students into athletes through team sports." --nominated by a colleague
Congratulations to this week's, "Unsung Educator of the Week", Darcy Stewart (and her team), CCSD Information Technology.
"Darcy Stewart has been a part of CCSD for 24 years. Darcy is so committed to her work. During the recent, network outage, she canceled two days of scheduled vacation to help with technology issues.
Darcy began her CCSD career on the Help Desk, then became a Field Support Technician and is now one of our Field Support Managers. She is a valuable member of the Technology Support Leadership team, helping to guide decisions that have an impact on students, teachers, and staff members. Darcy's dedication to customers and to her team members is outstanding. She is always early and stays late to get as much accomplished in a day as possible.
She has helped create Student-led Tech Support programs and has invested time and energy into supporting students and teachers in these programs.
In 2014, she was recognized by the SC Dept of Education for her work in creating a Student Led Help Desk at Wando High School with teacher Thomas Hundley. Together, they received the Technology Innovative Program Award for the state of SC." --nominated by a colleague
Congratulations to this week's, "Unsung Educator of the Week", James Lynch, Executive Director of Transportation.
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James!!!!
Buses, by day 2, were better than they were all last year!!!
Thanks, brother!!!!
Timothy P. Sullivan, Principal Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School
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I’ve posted before because of a complaint. I’m not one to stay silent when I feel like my concerns have been remedied. I had a long heart-to-heart with Mr Lynch about the buses and he promised me Monday that our route would be taken care of.
Yesterday I got a call and was told it would be taken care of today. Here we are and my son is more than on time after the bus being almost an hour late every day due to double routes.
Thank you! I’m optimistic about the rest of the year after my conversation.
Marti Haddad, CCSD Facebook Group
Stacy Attafi, District Instructional Specialist, World Languages.
"Stacy sees a need and meets it!
She knew going into her role as Instructional Specialist for World Languages that the majority of teachers in the County are the only language teachers at their school. She worked like crazy to assemble a team of content-area experts to collaborate and provide a uniform, horizontally- and vertically-aligned curriculum.
She also pioneered a peer-observation program for teachers to meet and collaborate with colleagues around the district. The work is paying dividends. CCSD's World Language teachers are aligned and working toward a common goal.
Thank you, Stacy!" -- nominated by a colleague
Patricia Grimes, Bus Driver.
"We have had the same bus driver for 2 school years now. She knows all of the kids and gets them to and from school safely.
She even went to my son's 5th-grade graduation last Spring and got each of the 5th-graders on the bus a sweet little graduation gift.
She truly goes above and beyond." -- nominated by a parent
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"She loves kids. She is very dependable and a team player." -- James Lynch, Executive Director of Transporation
Congratulations to this week's, "Unsung Educator of the Week", Leora "Niki" Smith, Parent Advocate/Title l Coordinator at North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary
"I am honored to nominate Ms. Leora "Niki" Smith, a dedicated Parent Advocate/Title l Coordinator at North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary School, for recognition as "Unsung Educator of the Week". Ms. Smith continuously goes above and beyond for the families in our school community. Since joining us during the pandemic, she has made a significant impact by providing invaluable support and resources to numerous families in need.
Ms. Smith has helped families navigate a wide range of necessities such as food insecurity, utility assistance, housing applications, and guidance through life's challenges. She has also taken the time to educate parents on effective parenting techniques to better manage their family dynamics and enhance coping skills. Additionally, Ms. Smith has established a food pantry at our school, which now includes a fresh market where families can access fresh eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables without any judgment or shame. She has also set up clothing closets for children in need and consistently supports our faculty and staff in ways that are truly remarkable.
Ms. Smith's unwavering dedication and commitment to North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary School are truly commendable and deserving of celebration. She is an exceptional individual, and we are incredibly grateful for all that she does for our school community. We are so incredibly lucky to have her at our school!" -- nominated by a colleague