Laurens County School District 56 Announces Teachers of the Year for 2024-2025

Laurens County School District 56 (LCSD56) recently announced its Teacher of the Year for each school for the 2024-2025 academic year. The selection process involved each school nominating candidates, followed by staff voting for their respective school’s nominee.

Once the school-level selections were made, the chosen teachers were surprised at their schools by Superintendent David O’Shields and other district administrators.

The Teacher of the Year for each school in Laurens County School District 56 are (photos below):

• Katie Thompson, Eastside School, 3rd Grade Math and Science
• Casey Spain, Clinton Middle School, Special Education Teacher
• Melissa Nelson, Clinton Elementary, 3rd Grade Teacher
• Kerri Gearheart, Joanna Woodson, Music Teacher
• Laney Reynolds, MS Bailey, Physical Education Teacher
• Katherine Addison, Clinton High School, Math Teacher

Now, all these educators are qualified for the LCSD56 Teacher of the Year award for the 2024-2025 academic year. They will begin crafting their professional biographies, teaching philosophies, and detailing the distinctive aspects of their classrooms. The selection process for the LCSD56 Teacher of the Year includes a thorough evaluation with three external individuals conducting interviews with the six finalists.

The district will announce the Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 at the Retirement Dinner on April 25th.

Pictured( left to right) Top row – Katie Thompson, Casey Spain, Kerri Gearheart; Bottom row – Melissa Nelson, Laney Reynolds, Katherine Addison.