Gordon County Schools hosted its Teacher of the Year banquet Monday, April 22nd. Each Teacher of the Year winner from our 10 schools was celebrated for their excellence in and out of the classroom. Our 2024-2025 District Teacher of the Year was also named.
Congratulations to Sydney Shipley, Belwood Elementary 5th grade math teacher, for being recognized as the Gordon County Schools District Teacher of the Year!
Mrs. Shipley has been a teacher at Belwood Elementary since 2006,
where she served as Lead Special Education teacher prior to her math position. She has a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University. She has played integral roles in Belwood Elementary's leadership teams as a member of their Guiding Coalition and the School Governance Team.
This was Sydney's third time winning Belwood Elementary Teacher of the Year (2009, 2017, 2024).
Congratulations to the two District Finalists, Sonoraville High School's Ashley Brookshire and Ashworth Middle School's Christie McDougal. Ashley teaches English and Christie teaches English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
The full list of Teacher of the Year winners is below. Thank you to these educators, as well as all educators in Gordon County Schools, for making a difference in the lives of students and our community. Together We Thrive!
Belwood Elementary - Sydney Shipley, District Teacher of the Year
Sonoraville High School - Ashley Brookshire, District Finalist
Ashworth Middle School - Christie McDougal, District Finalist
Fairmount Elementary - Taylor Ballew
Red Bud Elementary - Calli Davis
Tolbert Elementary - Esther DeHaro
Sonoraville Elementary - Nataly Mendoza
Red Bud Middle School - Ian Robbins
W.L. Swain Elementary - Carrie Schmitz
Gordon Central High School - Sherry Sullivan