Manatee schools announce finalists for teacher and support employee of the year
The School District of Manatee County has announced eight finalists in a bid for Educator of the Year and Support Employee of the Year.
Winners will be announced at the 2019-2020 Excellence in Education Awards, slated for Feb. 5 at Manatee Technical College’s main campus, 6305 State Road 70 E. in Bradenton. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Superintendent Cynthia Saunders joined several district administrators in surprising the finalists on Monday, according to a news release.
“I am grateful to these finalists for their commitment and dedication to the children of Manatee County,” Saunders said in a prepared statement. “They represent approximately 8,000 employees who devote their careers and professional lives to helping the children of this community prepare for successful and productive lives.”
Educator of the Year finalists:
- Faith Bench, a mathematics teacher at Braden River Middle School.
- Amanda English, a science teacher at Bayshore High School.
- Susan Nickerson, a fourth-grade teacher at Palmetto Elementary School.
- Jennifer Santora, a third-grade teacher at Gullett Elementary School.
Support Employee of the Year finalists:
- Christal Cashmore, a paraprofessional at Myakka City Elementary School.
- Alison Cooper, a clerical assistant at Williams Elementary School.
- Amie Golden, the registrar at Witt Elementary School.
- Martha Stroup, the senior school secretary at Freedom Elementary School.
Parents, students and district staff nominated 349 employees for the awards, and 67 moved on to a review by judges, according to the news release. Two committees then picked the finalists.
Along with the superintendent, Manatee’s finalists received a visit from Marty the Marauder, along with Genelle Zoratti Yost and Doug Wagner, deputy superintendents for the school district; and Mary Glass, executive director of the Manatee Education Foundation.
During last year’s ceremony, Support Employee of the Year went to Amanda Keeney, the cafeteria manager at Myakka City Elementary. Debra Hartline, a reading teacher at Braden River High School, won Educator of the Year.
Last year’s winners received a $5,000 award from Suncoast Credit Union and other prizes worth thousands more.
District-level winners also become eligible for an award through the Florida Department of Education, which honors one teacher and one support employee from a group of statewide finalists each year.
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Manatee schools announce finalists for teacher and support employee of the year."