T-Mobile Honors 10 Outstanding Employees

The classrooms and hallways at Hughes Academy are the cleanest they have ever been since Margaret Beck took over as custodian. Her optimistic personality is contagious, making it obvious that she cares deeply about her peers, the students, and the school. When a new teacher was hired and didn’t immediately have furniture in her classroom, Margaret made it her mission to secure what was needed to welcome students into the classroom. Margaret take time to talk to students about their interests and builds rapport with them.

Over her 16-year career in the Superintendent’s Office and the Communications Department, Teri Brinkman has developed a rich understanding of GCS and how to best communicate with internal and external audiences. Her dedication to the GCS family was evident in the excellent communications flow to those audiences during the COVID pandemic. She works tirelessly and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep everyone informed. Identified as a servant leader, Teri’s positive demeanor allows her to develop strong, trusting relationships with everyone she encounters.

Over the past three years, Amy Carlson has served as a long-term substitute teacher for Oakview. She taught a second grade class in August, and has performed her duties like a permanent teacher on the faculty. She attends meetings, follows up with parents, and collaborates with colleagues. When she cannot attend meetings in person, she is there on Google Meet. As a certified teacher, Amy has led fall conferences with parents and administers the state tests to her students.

Because of the efforts of Ioana Delgado, the Spanish curriculum at Travelers Rest High has become richer and more diverse. She searches for authentic resources that not only include content, but also show different views of the language and culture of the countries in which it is spoken. She has developed a pacing guide that is used in several GCS schools, and she has better prepared Spanish 1 students for the rigors of higher-level Spanish courses, including improved performance on the College Board and IB examinations.

Sydney Ford demonstrated her exceptional teaching skills this fall when another math teacher was out on medical leave for six weeks. Sydney not only taught her class in-person, but also taught the second class simultaneously via Google Meet. The skill in which she was able to successfully teach two classes at the same time was incredible. She was able to keep both classes on track with the math standards they needed to learn, and never let any student fall behind.

Teri Jeffcoat is a true partner with students and staff at Buena Vista Elementary School. Some of her bus riders face obstacles in their daily lives, so Teri is constantly advocating for them to ensure they have a great school experience. She will notify the administration if she notices a student having a rough morning, and is proactive in resolving issues with tagged students or seating arrangements on the bus. She has even improved the behavior of the students on her bus.

Tena Johnson makes each member of her Food Service team feel valued and appreciated. She works with the principal to brainstorm new ideas and makes sure new food service staff are mentored. On short notice, Tena shifted menus for school events and created menus for the after school program that provides healthy snacks for students. Because of COVID seating in the cafeteria, she created ways to coordinate meals for kindergarten students who could not carry meals back to their classroom.

Chief Bryan Riebe is an “out of the box” teacher, coming to school dressed as a chemist or wearing a blow-up fire truck. His passion for the fire service industry is evident in the speakers he brings to the classroom and partnerships he develops with the community. He creates a family-like culture with students, visiting them at home and attending extracurricular events at their high schools. This year, he hosted a 9/11 ceremony which included a retired FDNY chief who spoke about his personal experience.

As Title 1 Facilitator, Meghan Shroy has the ability to make a difficult situation seem temporary. She works with community partners to ensure students have coats and other necessities. She developed a partnership with the Rotary Club of Greenville to provide teachers with coffee goody bags as well as shoes for more than 70 students. Through her role with OnTrack, she provides parents and students with mental health counseling, attendance interventions, and individualized support.

When an emergency situation arises at Paris Elementary School, Nurse Donna has a calming effect on first responders and others involved. There are students with serious medical conditions and Donna understands the importance of monitoring them regularly to ensure their needs are met. She has calmly persevered through COVID and answered numerous questions from parents and staff. Donna has trained staff in specific skills so that they feel confident in medical emergencies.