(Gulf Shores)
Many of the area’s top business leaders turned out Feb. 3 as the Coastal Baldwin Educational Enrichment Educational Foundation honored the recipients of its annual Teachers of the Year awards at the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce’s First Friday Forum. Recipients are chosen from the four public schools in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and are nominated by their peers.
“These teachers represent the best of the best in their respective schools,” CBEE President Yolanda Devine Johnson said. “We believe our schools are home to the best teachers anywhere, and our winners were picked by their fellow teachers – hence they are the best of the best. Congratulations to them all.”
This year’s winners include Kimberly Hollis of Orange Beach Elementary, Nicole Godbold of Gulf Shores Elementary, Debbie Kenyon of Gulf Shores Middle and Lynn Lowell on Gulf Shores High.
Hollis, a kindergarten teacher who has been at OBES since 1997, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montevallo. She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Teaching Society International, Baldwin County Advisory Committee for Kindergarten and the
UBGOOD Scholarship Board
.
According to OBES Principal Jonathan Ellis, Hollis “creates learning experiences that instill a love of learning in children at a very early age. She is dedicated to creating memorable and engaging lessons for her children that never leave out the ‘fun.’ We are very fortunate to have her here at Orange Beach Elementary.”
Godbold, a fourth-grade teacher, is in her eighth year of teaching, and in her seventh at GSES. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University at Montgomery and a master’s degree from Grand Canyon University. She was selected through a rigorous process as an “enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies” – better known as eMINTS - instructor, which encourages the use of technology in the classroom.
“I am so honored to be a part of such an amazing and supportive community, with the most outstanding group of individuals as colleagues and friends,” Godbold said. “The teamwork that surrounds me leads to powerful results in the classroom, as well as student success.”
GSES Principal Julie Pierce said she is proud of Godbold. “She is a learner who loves to implement the best teaching practices in her own classroom. By attending tons of professional development, she works diligently and collaboratively with other teachers to help improve instruction across the entire school,” she said. “In recent months, her instruction has attracted visitors and dignitaries from eMINTS, ARI, AMSTI and even our state legislature.”
Kenyon, in her 10th year of teaching and has been at GSMS for the past nine years. She is a seventh grade civics and geography teacher at GSMS, where she is the yearbook sponsor and girls soccer coach. She is an eMINTS teacher and was also the GSMS Teacher of the Year for the 2005-2006 school year. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Athens State University and a master’s degree from the University of North Alabama.
“I was honored and humbled by my colleagues to be chosen as Teacher of the Year. I am blessed to have a career that I truly enjoy doing every day. I love working with my students,” Kenyon said. “The colleagues that I work with are amazing. Any one of them could have easily been Teacher of the Year.”
“She has done an outstanding job during her tenure here at Gulf Shores Middle School. She puts her students first and works tirelessly to meet their needs whether academic, social, or athletic,” GSMS Principal Phillip Fountain said. “She is well respected among her students, colleagues, and parents. She is such an integral part of our GSMS family it gives me great pride that she is our Teacher of the Year.”
Lowell is a biology and honors biology teacher at GSHS. She has been teaching for 17 years, the past six at GSHS. She is a Level III AMSTI teacher. She holds a bachelor’s degree from AUM and a master’s degree from the University of West Alabama. “The highest honor of my career is having been chosen by my peers as teacher of the year,” she said.
“She is an outstanding teacher and cares about her students. She offers tutoring before and after school,” GSHS Principal Dr. Ernie Rosado said. “Every time I walk in her classroom she is teaching and I learn something interesting about biology. Also, she will be teaching advance placement biology next fall- a first for GSHS.”
CBEE member Jason Holt announced the award recipients at First Friday Forum, which was sponsored by Krebs Architecture and Engineering. Holt said he wanted to thank Krebs for their support of the foundation, and said the foundation membership hopes to do more for teachers in the future. “We've been able to fund projects for several teachers of the year through the foundation,” Holt said. “We look forward to working with our teachers - including future teachers of the year - closely as we move forward in pursuit of excellence in education on the island.”
For more information on the foundation, go to their website www.cbee.la or contact President Yolanda Devine Johnson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
