Dorchester School District Two has named five teachers as finalists in the district’s 2009 Teacher of the Year selection process.
Minnie Blackwell, eighth-grade science teacher at Alston Middle School; Wayne Helmly, chorus and piano teacher at DuBose Middle School; Anna Musselman, seventh-grade science teacher at Rollings Middle School of the Arts; Debra Runyon, health and physical education teacher at Oakbrook Middle School, and Jennifer Wilde, fourth-grade gifted and talented teacher at Beech Hill Elementary School, have been selected as district Honor Teachers.
A final selection committee of community members and educators will interview these teachers in April and one will be named 2009 District Teacher of the Year. The winner will be announced at the Teacher of the Year Celebration May 7 at Summerville High School. The annual event, held during Teacher Appreciation Week will honor all 22 Teachers of the Year for 2009.
Students in Dr. Minnie Blackwell’s eighth-grade classes at Alston Middle School learn far more than science curriculum as she prepares them for today’s changing world. She maintains an enthusiastic classroom where students are expected to develop positive character attributes and to learn appropriate behaviors. This veteran educator of 19 years has taught at Alston for the past two years. In her very busy schedule, Blackwell still finds time to be very active as a teacher leader and mentor, as well as be involved as a community leader. In 2002 she was elected to serve as Mayor of Hanahan.
Before he began teaching at DuBose Middle School three years ago, Wayne Helmly spent more than 20 years as a church choirmaster/organist and a college professor teaching music appreciation. He believes his primary goal as a teacher is to inspire students to become productive, well-educated citizens and the vehicles for achieving this goal are music and the fostering of self-expression. In addition to teaching chorus and piano classes, he coordinates an after-school program, ACES (After School Enrichment Students), that serves nearly 50 academically challenged students four days a week. In order to provide resources for students, Helmly has successfully applied for almost $40,000 in grant funding.
Having been in the classroom for 15 years, Anna Musselman has a deep understanding of her content, a contagious energy, and a passion for her subject that make her a favorite and effective teacher at Rollings Middle School of the Arts. Her seventh-grade science classroom is a place of high energy where students are involved and interact with the topic. As head of the science department, Musselman serves as a teacher leader who shares her knowledge and talent with her colleagues. Her influence is seen beyond her classroom through her efforts to create a National Wildlife Federation Carolina Garden and an outdoor classroom for her school.
A veteran teacher of 18 years, Debra Runyon credits being totally immersed in the life of her school and its students for her effectiveness in the classroom at Oakbrook Middle School. Debra has been a teacher at Oakbrook Middle since 1997, teaching sixth-grade math and science for a number of years. But two years ago Principal Garland Crump offered Debra a new challenge – to revamp the health and physical education program at the school – which she accepted. This new role allowed her the opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary class that weaves together chorus, dance and physical education.
Honor teacher Jennifer Wilde brought her enthusiasm and dedication for teaching to Beech Hill Elementary three years ago. She loves the challenge of teaching fourth-grade gifted and talented classes. One of her proudest accomplishments was earning her National Board Certification last year. This was a journey that she credits with making her a stronger, more confident teacher. During the course of her seven years in education, Jennifer has been an outspoken advocate for the world of educators.