Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools May/June 2016 | Page 12

UCPS Teacher of the Year selection down to 10 finalists

The 2016-17 UCPS Teacher of the Year was named April 21 and was chosen from the following top 10 finalists.
Forest Hills High School - Lauren Baucom has been an
educator for seven years; three of those have been at Forest Hills
High School. Her philosophy of teaching is “all students can and
must learn,” which dictates her pedagogy and defines her classroom
management. This philosophy expresses every belief she has about
the purpose of education -- that it revolves around who her students
are and what they need.
New Town Elementary School - Ann Jacob has been an
educator for 30 years, five of those years have been at New Town
Elementary. She chose to teach because she believed there was
no other profession more important and more satisfying on a daily
basis. She sees teaching as a challenging, creative and meaningful
way to help children see their own potential and imagine possibilities
they might otherwise not imagine.
Piedmont High School - Stacy Vickers has been teaching for
17 years, seven of which have been at Piedmont High School. She
felt the calling to teach from the time she was a young child. She
considers that her greatest accomplishment is watching students
overcome obstacles (personal or academic) that will lead them to be
successful.
Porter Ridge High School - Amanda McDevitt has been
teaching a total of M