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Carla Arnold

Charla Preston

Jessica Speake

Kaitlyn Wilson

Michelle Feistritzer

Stephanie Acevedo

BY FIONA MORGAN

fiona@amnews.com

The Boyle County Board of Education gave awards for Teachers of the Year and Employees of the Year at their meeting on May 18.

Below are the honorees:

• Michelle Feistritzer was given Teacher of the Year for Boyle County High School. She has been with the district since the 1990s, and mainly coaches sports.

High School Principal Mark Wade said that everything Feistritzer does has been good for kids, and she has created opportunities for kids. Wade explained that she started a Boyle County Sports Network that streams school sports, which has given students a chance to run and operate the stream.

• Charla Preston won Teacher of the Year for Boyle County Middle School. Preston started in 2017, and has taught sixth grade math and science.

Middle School Principal Brian Wheeler said, “She is the perfect match for sixth grade kids who need some migration time from elementary to middle school life. She cares about her kids deeply and cares about her content.”

• Kaitlyn Wilson won Teacher of the Year for Woodlawn Elementary School. Wilson teaches second grade and started at the school in 2020.

Woodlawn Principal Jennifer Pierson said Wilson has a positive attitude about everything. Pierson said when she asked a parent about Wilson, that parent said that Wilson cares deeply about each child – always making sure they have all their school work, but also caring about how they are as a whole and loving them.

• Carla Arnold was given Teacher of the Year for Junction City Elementary School. She came to the school in 2019 teaching fifth grade, but has been a long time educator.

Principal Pam Shunk said Arnold takes the lead on planning fun, extra things for fifth graders. “Anytime I walk into her classroom, the kids are just super engaged in learning,” Shunk said. “Math isn’t always exciting, but she makes it fun for the kids, and she explains the content in such a way that kids not only understand it, but they become confident.”

• Jessica Speake won Teacher of the Year for Perryville Elementary School. She started in 2016 and teaches second and third grade.

“She’s loving and she’s kind, and Miss Speake has been an all-around advocate for our students,” Perryville Principal Jenna Blair said. “She is a team player, always strives to make sure kids know the content, pushes them to be their best, and is truly just one of a kind.”

• Stephanie Acevedo won Teacher of the Year for the District. She is an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher for all schools in the district, and joined in 2017.

Wade said Acevedo was nominated by multiple schools for teacher of the year, so they came up with the district award as a special honor.

“Everywhere she is, the teachers don’t know what they’d do without her,” Wade said. “She is literally our communication piece for many of our families that don’t speak English very well.”

• Caryn Fuqua won Employee of the Year for Woodlawn. She is the school’s custodian. Pierson said Fuqua goes above and beyond on the job, and says she cares about making the space look the best it can for the kids.

• James Garrison won Employee of the Year for the Middle School. Wheeler said he has the difficult job of managing the school’s cleaning team, and does an outstanding job.

• Renee Hooks was given Employee of the Year for the District. She serves as a bus driver and has been with the district for five years. She became a driver trainer about two years ago and has trained five drivers.

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