Monday night the teachers of the year and administrator of the year were recognized at the Marion County School Board meeting at East Marion Elementary School.
The winners were Candace Pugh of East Marion Elementary, who was also the district’s teacher of the year; Mandell Echols of East Marion High; Lori Lowe of West Marion Primary; Angela Brady of West Marion Elementary; Cassi Barr of West Marion High; Robert Boone of the vo-tech center; and Vicki Boone, principal of West Marion Primary, administrator of the year.
The first teacher recognized was Candace Pugh, who works with the fourth, fifth and sixth grade inclusion classes at East Marion Elementary. She has been teaching for seven years. In addition to Teacher of the Year, Pugh also received the District Teacher of the Year.
“Anything I ask her to do anything she has no problem going over and beyond that,” East Marion Elementary Principal Chase Robbins said. “There has never been a doubt in my mind that she truly loves kids, and that is just a gold standard for me.”
Coach Mandell Echols received Teacher of the Year for East Marion High. Echols has been a teacher for 19 years and has been working at East Marion for 12 years. He currently teaches physical education and coach volleyball, junior high basketball and baseball.
“If you look in the dictionary under team player you should see his name. I don’t care what he has planned or what is going on, he is just one to do whatever is needed. We are just glad he is part of our team,” East Marion High School Principal Cynthia Newsome said.
The Teacher of the Year award for West Marion Primary was given to Lori Lowe. Lowe’s math proficiency scores for the 2018-2019 were among the top 5 percent of the state.
Vicki Boone, West Marion Primary principal, said, “If I had to choose a word I would say humble. She pushes her kids, she believes in her kids and she is a team player. I say humble because she gives God all the credit.”
For West Marion Elementary Angela Brady is the Teacher of the Year. Brady has worked at the elementary school for 24 years. Elementary Principal Sherrie Williams said, “If I had to say one teacher in my career has grown professionally it would have to be her. She is truly a team player. She has come out of her comfort zone quite a few times and has done a wonderful job.”
West Marion High Principal Gigi Dunaway presented biology teacher Cassi Barr with Teacher of the Year. Barr has been teaching at West Marion for six years.
“The first word that comes to my mind is competitive,” Dunaway said referring to Barr.
“With that competitiveness there is compassion. A compassion that drives her that she teaches to that high level of standards and rigorous lessons. She also remediates her students when she needs to,” Dunaway said.
Welding instructor Robert Boone received Teacher of the Year at the Marion County Carl Loftin Career and Technology Center. Boone began teaching in 1982 and has taught in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Director Jan Sears said, “I will tell you how blessed we are to have a Louisiana retiree because we have a good one. Our welding shop Boone has basically transformed with the help of Quality Welding and other businesses into a shop that is better than any college around, definitely any high school.”
“He makes every one of his students feel like they are the best, fabulous and phenomenal and that their weld is the best. He has a talent to make them feel special. I don’t know how many he has saved from dropping out,” she said.
Superintendent Wendy Bracey said, “We are blessed to have beautiful and wonderful teachers in our district. Thank you, congratulations and we appreciate you.”
After the Teachers of the Year were awarded Bracey awarded the Administrator of the Year to West Marion Primary Principal Vicki Boone. West Marion Primary in one year went from a C rating to an A rating in the state accountability test. It’s first school in the district to earn the top letter grade.
Bracey said, “Boone is very detailed and a fine example of a hard worker and getting things done. We appreciate your work ethic and how you love your students and staff.”
Board member Larry Jenkins said, “I want to personally to say we appreciate all of the hard work you have done and congratulations.”
Board member Richard Culliver added, “To the families of the award winners, I know the hard work you have to do and the long hours you have to have a supportive home life, hats off to you, too.”
“Great job,” said board member Jessie Graham.
Pictured Above: East Marion Elementary teacher Candace Pugh, center, accepts awards for the school’s teacher of the year as well as the Marion County district’s teacher of the year Monday from Principal Chase Robbins and Superintendent Wendy Bracey. The district honored the top teachers from each school as well as the administrator of the year. | Photo by Susan Amundson
