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April 16, 2009

Ceremony to honor Baldwin Co. Teacher of the Year

Jonathan Jackson

Editor’s note: This is the final article introducing the four remaining candidates for Baldwin County 2009 Teacher of the Year.



A ceremony Thursday will honor the seven candidates and will name the Baldwin County Teacher of the Year. The banquet begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 per person. Each school selects a teacher of the year, then a committee convenes to consider the candidates, assistant superintendent Dr. Sharon Hunt said.

“In addition to the meal, we will have special presentations and a special treat from the Baldwin High School Fine Arts Department,” she said.

Miranda Janelle Ellison, Eagle Ridge Elementary School

Miranda Ellison was born and raised in Quitman. She graduated from Georgia College in 1988 with a degree in early childhood education. She taught at Southside Elementary School before later joining Eagle Ridge. In 2005, she earned her master’s degree in education with a concentration in counseling and psychology from Troy State University. She has served her school, most recently as a team leader, and has served her community as a member of several education-based committees. Ellison said she has a desire to give back to students what was given to her as a daughter and a student.

Cheryl Johnson, Early Learning Center

Cheryl Johnson hails from Springfield and graduated cum laude from Georgia College in 1983. She taught in the kindergarten program at Children’s Friend for 11 years and also was named an assistant director. She was the recipient of a trip to Washington, D.C. during this time as the result of being named one of the top 10 childcare professionals in the nation. She was the first certified teacher hired by the Baldwin County Head Start program in 1994. She has served as a liaison between Baldwin County Schools and Georgia College to develop and maintain relationships with professional development schools. She has been a mentor teacher at the Early Learning Center with the Georgia Pre-K program for 14 years and is currently a facilitator for the New Teacher Institute. She is a host teacher to Georgia College cohorts and students from Central Georgia Technical College and is also a member of the Early Learning Center Leadership Team.

Gloria Lindsey, Midway Elementary School

Gloria Lindsey is a Milledgeville native and taught as a substitute in the Baldwin County system from 1975 to 1976. She graduated from Fort Valley State University with a degree in social welfare in 1980. She worked with Central State Hospital as a health service technician. She became a paraprofessional in the Baldwin County School System in 1987, then earned her teacher certification and began teaching at Midway Elementary in 1991. She received a master’s degree in special education in 1996. She is an avid reader and received a K-5 Reading endorsement in 2006. She was a Midway design team member from 2005-2007 when Midway received accreditation through SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and is also on the Better Seeking Math Team committee. She has served the Baldwin County School district for 21 years.

Chuck Claxton, Oak Hill Middle School

Chuck Claxton was born in Macon and graduated Mt. de Sales High School. He went on to Georgia College and in 1985 graduated with psychology and marketing degrees. He enjoyed a brief career in business, then returned to the classroom to earn his teaching certificate. He started teaching at Boddie Middle School in 1994 then moved to Oak Hill Middle. After briefly leaving the system for a stint in Putnam County schools, Claxton returned to Oak Hill in 2006 to teach life science in the ACE program. Since he started teaching, he has earned the title of teacher of the year at Boddie Middle and Putnam Middle. He was named Baldwin County’s Teacher of the Year in 1997. His desire is to not only help students meet the standard, he said, but to appreciate life and all its miracles and to instill a sense of awe and wonder that will encourage them to be life-long learners. Claxton enjoys hiking and outdoors activities with his family.

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