Whitesides’ Haecherl becomes newest CCSD Teacher of the Year
April 26, 2018
Stephanie Haecherl’s tenth year in education is probably going to be the most memorable of her career thus far. That’s because she was named the 2018 Charleston County School District (CCSD) Teacher of the Year at tonight’s Teacher of the Year Celebration. The second grade teacher at Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School heard her named called in front of hundreds of her colleagues, the CCSD Board of Trustees, district partners, and sponsors.
“It feels very rewarding,” explained Haecherl. “I am just so overwhelmed. I am so excited and so happy to be able to represent my school and my district. It is worth it to be able to stand up and speak for students and teachers, to have a voice in how we can improve education, and keep doing the things that are good and make them even better.”
Haecherl is a National Board Certified teacher, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Public Relations from Mars Hill College (currently Mars Hill University) and Master of Education in Divergent Learning from Columbia College. Haecherl says she is committed to being a lifelong learner and leader, with current focuses on grant writing and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) initiatives.
Haecherl will help lead the CCSD Teacher of the Year Roundtable during the 2018-2019 school year; she will also receive a one-year lease to drive a MINI Cooper. Haecherl follows 2017 honoree, Mia Pace of Julian Mitchell Math and Science Elementary School, on the acclaimed list of CCSD Teachers of the Year.
Haecherl and the rest of the five finalists were selected through a multi-step process that began with a review of their applications by the outgoing Teacher of the Year Roundtable. Once the finalists were chosen, each of the five teachers gave a tour of their school to a panel of judges, provided a model lesson to be critiqued, and participated in a thorough interview process.
Finalists for 2018 CCSD Teacher of the Year included runner-up Margaret Hale (James Island Elementary), Amanda Prohaska (Mount Pleasant Academy), Kevin Short (Charleston County School of the Arts), and Joyce Stewart-Gibbs (E.B. Ellington Elementary).
