Spartanburg teacher honored for community service, receives Charles Dickerson Award
April 29, 2011
SPARTANBURG, SC – April 28, 2011 – Connecting service to learning has become a hallmark of 19-year teaching veteran Ann McCall Salway’s career in the classroom.
Gov. Nikki Haley presented Salway, a teacher at Pine Street Elementary School in Spartanburg District Seven, with the Charles Dickerson Community Service award during Wednesday night’s State Teacher of the Year celebration.
“Ann believes that we all have a responsibility to use our time and talent to enhance the lives of others,” said State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais. “She is an excellent role model for the children she teaches and for her own girls. Not only does Ann’s work reflect well on our profession, but it’s also a fitting tribute to Charlie Dickerson.”
The award, established for the late Charles Dickerson, former CEO of The R.L. Bryan Co. and a key early benefactor for the State Teacher of the Year program, is given annually to a district Teacher of the Year who exemplifies the true spirit of community service. It comes with a $1,000 prize from Bojangles’ – $500 to Salway and $500 to a charity of her choice.
Salway’s math class co-hosted the Third Annual Bow-Wow Bash, a benefit to raise money and collect donations for the Humane Society. After completing a unit on decimals, the fourth-grade students were able to make real-life applications. Many of the event’s stations involved the use of decimals, counting and making change and ordering decimals to determine the fastest time in the doggie obstacle course.
She began her volunteer career as a soccer coach at the YMCA. Soon afterward, she was recruited to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors and later as its fundraising chair.
Through her church, she’s helped build a Habitat for Humanity house, make sandwiches for the Soup Kitchen and pack more than 1,000 backpacks for needy children. She has also served as a Bible School director and as a member of the Children’s Council.
A member of her neighborhood board and her daughter’s gymnastics Booster Club, Salway also works with Girls on the Run (GOTR), a nonprofit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. GOTR participates in a community project midway through the program.
Salway’s students have made angels to decorate tables at a local nursing home and collected money and bought presents for a child at Christmas.
For the past three years, Salway’s oldest daughter has collected donations for the Humane Society in lieu of birthday presents. Because of the volunteerism modeled by her mother, she’s gained an appreciation for community service.
Salway is National Board certified.
Dickerson established the Palmetto Horizon Foundation, the private group formed to fund the annual State Teacher of the Year awards celebration and to honor some of the state’s outstanding educators.
