January 1, 1970

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week we are recognizing excellent teachers in Baton Rouge! These educators have been nominated by staff members and students to celebrate their commitment to education in our city.

Ashley Livingston, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Livingston is great at building relationships with scholars and adults! She acts as the grade level leader of her 7th-grade team and has established a great balance between being a strong leader and being a positive teammate for the teachers on her team."

Beverly Davis, Buchanan Elementary School: "She has been working with special needs kids for over 20 years and she is GREAT! She really has a passion for teaching."

Candice Delgado, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Delgado understands the social and emotional needs of scholars in a very intuitive way. She is able to read a scholar's emotions to push them when they need pushing and provide support when they need nurturing."

Cara Sullivan, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge:"Ms. Sullivan is a meticulous planner. Her organization and preparation outside of the classroom are the reason she provides such strong and driven lessons."

Daisha Washington, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Washington excels at understanding individual needs in her scholars. She provides such strong support to each scholar, making each one feel supported and motivated to do better."

Devon Camarota, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Devon's love for teaching and working with scholars is evident in everything she does. She always has a smile for staff and scholars alike. Devon is appreciated for the work she does with scholars who have special learning needs and for the kindness and patience she shows to all."

Hannah Twillman, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Twillman's love for literacy can be seen in everything that she does inside and outside of her classroom. She leads our ELA department and has played a major role in helping establish a culture of reading at our school among scholars and adults."

Hycinya Hutchinson, Baton Rouge University Prep: "Mrs. Hutchinson brings a smile to everyone she comes in contact with. Each day you can find her sitting in her classroom preparing for her kindergarten scholars. She often goes over and beyond by adding a little twist of personality to each lesson. Even though she can be silly with her scholars she has excellent classroom management skills. I am often amazed at how well her students can function even in her absence. She has an outstanding relationship with her co-teacher and her parents. I definitely think all of these things are worthy of recognition."

Karron Brown, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Mr. Brown's passion for music and learning is evident and can be seen in his band classroom daily. Despite the modified year due to the flooding disaster in August, he has put in a ton of work to ensure that scholars have plenty of opportunities to learn and develop their musical abilities."

Kristen Smith, Baton Rouge College Prep: "Ms. Smith teaches her heart out every day with our scholars. In addition, she sees our scholars for who they are as people, helping them bring their personal best each and every day."

Leah Tatum, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Tatum is devoted to providing differentiated instruction to scholars who need extra support. When Ms. Tatum sees a scholar struggling, she consults with her co-teacher and instructional coach to come up with alternative plans and structures to provide what that child needs."

Liz Franson, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Franson is a captivating teacher that brings the curriculum alive through her interactive and joyful delivery of lessons."

Maurice Vance, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Mr. Vance has shown an incredible amount of growth in his first year of teaching and has become a truly valuable member of the Democracy Prep team. He is great at accepting feedback and implementing it right away and has worked diligently to establish himself as a leader in his classroom."

Melina Sutton, Baton Rouge Bridge Academy: "Ms. Sutton is CONSTANTLY working incredibly hard. It is hard to believe that she is only a second-year teacher because her students have already grown so much this year. She looks for ways to grow her teacher skills through professional development, organizing excellent school visits, and collaborating with other teachers at our school and in the community. She is dedicated, giving, thoughtful, hard-working, and an asset to the Bridge team!"

Molly Means, Democracy Prep Baton Rouge: "Ms. Means is a master teacher in both content and management. She responds quickly to scholar ability and data and adjusts her teaching instantly according to what her children need. She challenges their potential, but because she creates such a warm and nurturing environment, scholars feel comfortable taking risks with her."

Taylor Bunn, Iberville MSA East: "Rebecca is always willing to step up to the plate when help and leadership are needed."

Tiffany Lyle and Janae Babineaux, Baton Rouge Bridge Academy: "This teaching team has grown so much this year with their first-grade scholars. Both teachers work together to help their students grow everyday, and love learning. They constantly seek out new ways to help their scholars, and are always eager to help their colleagues in any way they can."

Victoria D’Antonio, Lee Magnet High School: "Ms. "D" as many students call her is as passionate about teaching as she is about organizing events around campus. She currently teaches Algebra II, Geometry and Algebra I at Lee Magnet High School on top of being the sponsor for Mu Alpha Theta. Ms. D is always switching up her lessons by integrating technology, "walking worksheets", and inquiry-based investigations which lead her students to leave the class wanted to know more. Her patience and care are exemplified as she stays after school for additional tutoring at least twice a week. Although she is a first-year teacher, she had taken on the responsibility of organizing and promoting a strong Mu Alpha Theta team in which she led the sales of ice cream, chocolate, and other various concessions in order to make enough money to bring her children to the state convention. It's a good thing she did because they took home more awards than we could hold with two hands! Ms. D'Antonio has a heart of an angel and a true gift and passion for teaching!"

Yolanda P Williams, Claiborne Elementary School: "As a City Year corps member, I work closely with Ms. Williams on a daily basis. She has shown me what it means to be an effective educator. She comes to school every day ready to teach her students and pushes them to be the best citizens they can be. I have been so fortunate to share a classroom with her this year. I feel she truly embodies what it means to be a great teacher."

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