CCSD names 2018 teacher and paraprofessional of the year

WR Coile Middle School social studies teacher Donna Sherrer-Gant is the 2018 Clarke County School District Teacher of the Year, and JJ Harris Elementary School paraprofessional Jeffrey Barnett is the Clarke County School District Paraprofessional of the Year for 2018. Both were honored at a Sept. 26 luncheon, along with paraprofessionals and teachers from each of the district schools. Both Sherrer-Gantt and Barnett are 1979 graduates of Clarke Central High School.

The following is from the Clarke County School District: 

On Wednesday, September 26, 2018, the Clarke County School District and Georgia United Credit Union hosted a luncheon honoring the Paraprofessionals and Teachers of the year from each of the district schools. At the luncheon the Teacher and Paraprofessional of the Year for the District were also announced. 

Donna Sherrer-Gantt, a social studies teacher at WR Coile Middle School and 22 year veteran of the Clarke County School District was named District Teacher of the Year. Ms. Sherrer-Gantt is herself a product of CCSD and knows first-hand the challenges many of her students face. In this excerpt from her application essay, she speaks about why she became an educator: “I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children. I believe that education and access to education could be a great equalizer. I entered the field of education with a desire to make an impact in the lives of children and their families in my community. I saw the cycle of poverty and felt that by entering the education ranks that I could make a difference socially, emotionally, spiritually, educationally, politically, and culturally. Twenty-two years later, I want to think that my work has not been in vain and that I have made a difference in breaking the cycle of poverty in this community.”

Jeffrey Barnett of JJ Harris Elementary School was named CCSD Paraprofessional of the Year. Mr. Barnett is also a product of Clarke County Schools and assists with programs at JJ Harris ranging from reading and math to Art. After a career in the Navy followed by time in the home construction field, he felt that his background and life experiences were ideal for carrying out the responsibilities of a paraprofessional. Of his role in the classroom, Mr. Barnett says, “I’ve come to understand and sincerely believe that a paraprofessional’s most important role in a school is to be enduringly empathetic and a determined optimist. What could be more important for a paraprofessional than to have a genuine desire to understand where students are coming from? With so many challenges facing public schools (e.g., classroom size, poverty, family factors, behaviors and bullying to name a few), having empathy is key to understanding all children. Also, to be truly optimistic, every paraprofessional must be resolved to look for the promise, potential, and possibility in “all” of our children.”

In addition to the awards received from their schools and the Clarke County School District, Ms. Sherrer Gantt and Mr. Barnett received awards recognizing their achievements from the Foundation for Excellence.