Special Guests
We are thrilled to have an array of great speakers and teacher leaders lined up for this year's SC Teacher Forum Conference.
SC HONOR ROLL TEACHERS
Each year South Carolina selects five finalists for State Teacher of the Year. These finalists are interviewed and videotaped as part of the final selection process. Their contributions are celebrated at the South Carolina Teacher of the Year Banquet. Honor Roll Teachers work closely with the SC Teacher of the Year to promote teacher leadership and advocacy throughout the year.
VETERAN STATE TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
Chuck Long - 1986
Chuck Long was the 1986 SC Teacher of the Year. Chuck retired from his main job of teaching after 34 years in 2009. However, he continues today as Producer/CEO/Founder of The Charleston Youth Company, Inc., a non-profit performing arts company he started 37 years ago. Today he has 4 performing companies - Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior, and a Technical program with a total of over 100 students in grades 1-12. |
Beverly Bratton Varnado - 1987
Beverly Varnado, 1987 SC Teacher of the Year, was a middle and high school English teacher for 20 years before joining the Charleston County School District central administrative staff as Coordinator of Humanities; she later served as Director of the Teacher Center and Associate Superintendent. She earned a doctorate in curriculum studies from the University of South Carolina. Having retired in 2006, she continues to work part time in the CCSD Department of Employee Relations counseling employees and supervisors on employment-related issues. |
Jason Fulmer - 2004
A native of North Augusta, South Carolina, Jason earned a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina Aiken and an M. Ed. in Educational Leadership from Augusta University. In 1999, Jason began his career teaching third graders at Redcliffe Elementary School in Aiken County School District. In 2004, he was the youngest teacher named South Carolina Teacher of the Year and was selected as one of the four finalists for the National Teacher of the Year. Jason worked as a teacher, district induction teacher coach, and Title II Coordinator for Professional Development in the Aiken County School District. At the state level, Jason served as a Regional Teacher in Residence and Program Director for Retention and Advancement at CERRA. At the national level, Jason served as a Senior Program Consultant for an educational non-profit, fostering collaborative partnerships to improve student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of educators nationwide in rural and urban settings.
In March of 2023, Jason founded the Dream Developer Network to support student and educator success. He believes teachers are in the dream developing business and considers it a joy to help others find their pathways to success. Through the network, Jason spearheads teacher leadership initiatives, facilitates professional learning, keynotes, and arts integration workshops. Jason serves as Secretary for the Executive Board of the South Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and he is the President-elect for Learning Forward South Carolina. Jason is featured in the books American Teacher: Heroes in the Classroom by Katrina Fried, Teacher Top 5 by Nick Ip, Conversations with America’s Best Teachers by William Towne, and A+Educators by Randy Howe. |
Buffy Murphy - 2007
Jennifer “Buffy” H. Murphy is the 2007 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina, and Doctor of Education in Administration for Teaching and Learning from the Richard W. Riley School of Education at Walden University. Buffy was Nationally Board certified in early and middle childhood literacy in 2004 and renewed in 2014. She is in her 19th year of teaching at Irmo Elementary School where she currently serves as the Reading Coach and RTI Specialist. Buffy served on the CERRA Advisory Board and on the CERRA Board of Directors. She is an Education Policy Fellow through the Institute of Educational Leadership, a Smithsonian Teacher Ambassador, and served on the State of SC Education Oversight Committee. She served as Clinical Adjunct for the University of South Carolina and a member of the Coordinating Council and Pre-Service committee of the Professional Development School partnership. She is an advocate for public education and feels we must be the voice for our children and colleagues until we help them find, trust, and use their own. She believes servant leaders build capacity by tapping the potential around them, and as professional educators we are called to do just that. Buffy is an avid Clemson sports enthusiast and enjoys spending time with her husband, three daughters, and 2 dogs, and is very active in her church and community.
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Dr. Ann Marie Taylor – 2008
Dr. Ann Marie Taylor is an accomplished educator with the titles of 2008 SC Teacher of the Year, PSTA’s 2016 education service award, and CEC’s 2019 advocate of the year, just to name a few. Ann Marie began her career in juvenile justice and made her way into public education because she wanted to change the lives of students and leave a legacy. Ann Marie is a hot mess - in a fabulous way, of course. She loves supporting and empowering SC teachers, and she is determined to make SC’s education system better. She is currently the Lead Learner of Horse Creek Academy, a public charter school in Aiken, SC. Ann Marie believes that vulnerability and shared leadership is essential in any school. She plans for HCA to be a model for all SC schools. |
Dr. Jenna Hallman – 2009
Dr. Jenna Hallman currently serves as CERRA’s Executive Director and Program Director for Collegiate Programs (Teaching Fellows). She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from UofSC-Upstate and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Clemson University. She also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University. She served as a science specialist at Calhoun Academy for the Arts, teaching science to kindergarten to fifth grade students, when she was named the 2009 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. That same year, she received the C. F. Reames Outstanding Educator Award from Anderson University. She received her National Board Certification in 2002 and successfully renewed in 2011. |
Dr. Suzanne Koty – 2016
Suzanne Koty currently serves as a Program Director supporting the services CERRA offers in the areas of Teacher Leadership, National Board support, and Mentoring. Suzanne earned a B.A. in English Literature from Francis Marion College, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a M.Phil. She also holds a Ph.D. with a specialization in Education Policy, Leadership, and Management from Walden University. She was a high school English teacher at Sumter High School, teaching International Baccalaureate classes to juniors and seniors, when she was named the 2016 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. She received her National Board Certification in 2011 and successfully renewed in 2020. |
Sarah Gams – 2021
Sarah is the Social Emotional Learning Project Manager for the South Carolina Department of Education. Sarah Gams is also the 2021 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. She is a National Board Certified English teacher. This is her 18th year in education. Sarah majored in English at the Honors College of the University of South Carolina and earned her Master of Arts in Teaching. Sarah studied abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and discovered a passion for travel and the global classroom. Believing that multicultural experiences create global citizens, she partnered with Education First (EF) Tours in 2006 and has led nine student tours abroad for over 250 students. She was a keynote speaker for EF in Paris, France. Sarah created a Community Book Club (CBC) for her students and their parents. CBC partnered with Dominos and Little Caesars to provide free pizza once a month as students and their parents and community members talked about a selected book from the South Carolina Junior and Young Adult Book Awards Lists. Sarah taught 7th and 8th grade at Chapin Middle School for 10 years, and she spent 7 years teaching all courses from English 1 CP to AP Literature and Composition at Spring Hill High School. As an adjunct professor, Sarah teaches Young Adult Literature, English Methods in Education, and APEC Module 3, a graduate program for teacher certification, at Columbia College. Sarah is currently a Board Member of Leadership SC, where she created and co-chaired Project Paint the Way, now sponsored by United Way. Project Paint the Way is a service project dedicated to revitalizing school buildings in rural areas. |
Amy Carter – 2022
Amy Carter is a National Board Certified teacher with over 22 years of teaching experience. Before serving as the SCTOY, she taught English Language Arts and Teacher Cadets at Chapin High School in Chapin, SC. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in English Education and a Master’s degree from the University of South Carolina in Educational Technology, Amy has always sought to combine stories and writing with the powerful collaboration tools that technology offers. Amy’s teaching philosophy comes from Marianne Williamson’s urging to “Let your light shine so that others may be granted permission to do the same.” When a grumpy football coach made a difference in her own life as a tenth grader, she realized that she could do the same for others as a career and combine it with her love of story and communication to facilitate learning. She believes that literature can keep us in touch with our humanity and teach students necessary empathy that can foster future citizens that are better keepers of each other. She uses literature as a basis for genuine connection with students of all ability levels ranging from grades 9-12 and uses that rapport to help them become readers, writers, and storytellers in their own right. With her most recent professional investment in the Teacher Cadet program, she hopes to make an even greater impact as an advocate for public education by inspiring hopeful future educators that may one day become her colleagues. |
Keynote SPEAKERS
Rebecka Peterson - 2023 National Teacher of the Year
Rebecka Peterson, the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, is a math teacher who loves stories. Rebecka has taught high school math classes ranging from intermediate algebra to Advanced Placement calculus, for 11 years at Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Amid a difficult first year of high school teaching, she found the “One Good Thing” blog. She credits daily posting there to helping her recognize the beautiful and positive experiences occurring in her classroom, which inspired her to stay in the profession. She has since contributed 1,400 posts to the blog. As Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, she has visited teachers across the state to highlight their important work through the Teachers of Oklahoma campaign. As National Teacher of the Year, Rebecka plans to use her platform to highlight teachers’ stories of the good that’s happening in education. Teaching is a profession that affords creativity, autonomy and purpose, and Rebecka believes that highlighting the stories of joy happening in classrooms across the country will help encourage current teachers and attract new educators to the profession. Rebecka is a proud immigrant of Swedish-Iranian descent and lived in several countries around the world as her parents traveled as medical missionaries. Her own experience with supportive teachers who celebrated her diversity and math abilities informs Rebecka’s efforts to create a supportive and accessible classroom for students. She values listening to students’ stories as a way to better understand them and elevate their voice. Before joining the faculty at Union High School, Rebecka taught for three years at the collegiate level. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of South Dakota. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband, Brett, and son, Jonas, and she enjoys reading, crafting and playing board games. |
Renee Atkinson - 2024 SC Teacher of the Year
State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced this honor at the annual South Carolina Teacher of the Year Gala, which took place on April 26, 2023, on the grounds of the Governor’s mansion in Columbia, South Carolina. This event celebrated public education in S.C. and hosted district Teachers of the Year, legislators, business leaders, and community members to acknowledge the importance of the teaching profession. Reneé is an English teacher at Aynor High. This is her 21st year in education and her 17th teaching in the Horry County School District. However, she never considered teaching until after earning her bachelor’s in history with a minor in English at Clemson University. She went on to earn her master’s in secondary English from Francis Marion University and an education specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University. She is also a National Board Certified teacher. While she has spent time in various roles over the past two decades, Renee’ says she’s happiest in the classroom because that’s where she can make the biggest difference for children. As the State Teacher of the Year, Renee provides mentoring, attend speaking engagements, work with Teacher Cadets and Teaching Fellows, lead the State Teacher Forum, and serve as the state spokesperson for over 55,000 educators. She will also move forward to compete for the title of National Teacher of the Year. Renee is serving a one year residency with the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA). She will be a roving ambassador providing mentoring, attending speaking engagements, working with Teacher Cadets and Teaching Fellows, leading the State Teacher Forum, and serving as the state spokesperson for over 55,000 educators. |
WORKSHOP SPeakers
Dr. Jenna Hallman - Executive Director, CERRA
Jenna was born and raised in Coventry, Connecticut. She has a BA in Early Childhood Education from UofSC-Upstate and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Clemson University. She also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University. Her dissertation is titled "Impact of the Southern State Teaching Program on the Preparation of Teacher Leaders." Jenna started teaching in 1999, achieved National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist in 2002, and successfully renewed this certification in 2012. Most of her classroom career was spent teaching second grade at Calhoun Academy of the Arts in Anderson School District Five. She finished her time at Calhoun as the school science specialist. While in Anderson District Five, Jenna worked on curriculum writing teams, provided professional development focused on science and math instruction, directed the Camp Invention program for the district, mentored early career educators, and hosted interns from local universities. Jenna initially came to CERRA to serve a year-long residency as the 2008-2009 SC Teacher of the Year. Following this residency, she assumed the role of Program Director for Teaching Fellows and National Board support and later added CERRA's Mentoring and Induction and Teacher Leadership programs to her list of responsibilities. Along with her Program Director duties, Jenna served as the Assistant Executive Director from 2012 until she was named Interim Executive Director in March 2021. She began serving as Executive Director on July 1, 2021. |
Michael Carothers - Education Associate, SCDE
Michael was raised in San Jose, California. He has BAs in English and Biology from Sonoma State University, an M.Ed. in Educational Technology and Secondary Administrative Certification from the University of South Carolina. Michael began teaching 7th and 8th grade science in Salinas, California, in 1997. He was a department chair for many of his 10 years in the district and was active in the district’s science curriculum and benchmark committees. During this time, Michael also supported teachers by working as a new teacher mentor and as a Union building representative and the Vice President of Middle Schools for the Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers. In 2007, Michael and his family moved to South Carolina where he taught 6th grade science in School District 5 of Lexington-Richland Counties. During his years at CrossRoads, Michael also worked as a Teacher Technology Leader before leaving the classroom for the position of Digital Integration Specialist. Working with the entire school, Michael was able to work with teachers on identifying needs and technological tools that could help meet those needs; he also taught technology courses for the district that counted for re-certification or graduate credit. From technology, Michael moved into Administration and worked as an Assistant Principal at CrossRoads Intermediate and Chapin Middle. In these positions, Michael interacted with all stake-holders in the school to help improve instruction and maintain a safe environment. Michael has recently joined the State Department of Education as an Education Associate. This position entails coordinating the State Teacher of the Year program, assisting our STOY apply for National Teacher of the Year, and working with certifying and supporting International teachers across our state. |
Dr. Suzanne Koty - Director of Service Programs, CERRA
A resident of Sumter, SC, Suzanne graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1988. Suzanne earned a B.A. in English Literature from Francis Marion College in 1992. She earned both a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in 2009 and a M.Phil. from Walden University. She also holds a Ph.D. with a specialization in Education Policy, Leadership, and Management from Walden University. Suzanne has been in education since 2004; she earned her National Board Certification in English Language Arts in 2011 and successfully renewed that certification in 2020. She earned her certification through the PACE Program, the Program for Alternative Certification. Suzanne taught English and Theory of Knowledge at Sumter High School for most of her classroom career. While in Sumter School District, Suzanne served as a mentor, worked on curriculum writing teams, and led professional development workshops for the district. She has served as the co-director for the Santee-Wateree Writing Project and an adjunct professor for the University of South Carolina. Suzanne came to CERRA in 2015-16 after bring recognized as the 2016 SC Teacher of the Year. After completing her residency, Suzanne served as the Service Program Facilitator. She currently serves as a Program Director supporting the services CERRA offers in the areas of Teacher Leadership, National Board support, and Mentoring. |
Dani Stroud - Service Program Facilitator, CERRA
Dani earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the College of Charleston and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Chemistry from UofSC Columbia. Dani has over 15 years of classroom teaching experience and was recognized as one of the 2022 SC Honor Roll Teachers. She maintains National Board Certification in Adolescent/Young Adult Science with an emphasis in Chemistry. Before coming to CERRA, she also served as a science department chair, Mentor Teacher, SC Teaching Standards 4.0 Evaluator, and American Board Experience Evaluator. While in the classroom, Dani hosted Teacher Cadets during their practicum experience and a Teaching Fellow for student teaching. Dani is the new Service Program Facilitator for CERRA, supporting the SC Induction and Mentoring Programs, the National Board Certification process, and the network of SC Teacher Forums. |