The Virginia Beach Reading Council (VBRC) have named their annual Teacher and Administrator of the Year for 2013-14. Congratulations to Glenwood Elementary’s Tammie Soccio, who has been named the 2013-14 Reading Teacher of the Year, and Sean R. Walker, principal at Alanton Elementary School, received the James D. Mullins Leadership Award as Administrator of the Year.
To earn the honor, both must first be nominated by their school.
For teacher of the year, each school has to vote on the Reading Teacher of the Year their building. To be considered, teachers must have been a member of the VBRC the previous year and spend at least a third of their day instructing in the area of reading. After earning the school honors, each Reading Teacher of the Year completes an application process, where they include a professional resume, reference letters as well as a statement on their personal reading instruction philosophy. A committee reviews the application and awards the division-wide honor based on evidence of community involvement, creativity and plans for future professional development.
For a complete list of this year’s Reading Teachers of the Year, see below:
| Alanton | Deborah Torres |
| Arrowhead | Connie Szymanski |
| Bayside Elem | Wanda Warthen-Akiyama |
| Birdneck | Janice Bennett |
| Brookwood | Tracy Darling |
| Centerville | Constance Smith |
| Christopher Farms | Michelene Kesner |
| College Park | Wendi West |
| Cooke | Allison T. Ross |
| Corporate Landing Elem | Jean Jones |
| Creeds | Tammy L. Humphreys |
| Dey | Gloria Ashlee Williams |
| Diamond Springs | Leanne B. Green |
| Fairfield | Karen Bussey |
| Glenwood | Tammie Soccio |
| Green Run Elem | Adele Falardeau |
| Green Run | Deborah Briscoe |
| Hermitage | Katherine Fedor |
| Holland | Kathy Verrey |
| Indian Lakes | Gerri Alexander |
| Kempsville Elem | Katherine Eavey |
| Kempsville Meadows | Sabrina Griffin |
| Kings Grant | Elizabeth Reimond |
| Landstown Elem | Todd DeWees |
| Larkspur | Patricia Babbitt |
| Linkhorn Park | Valentina Daly O’Brien |
| Luxford | Michelle Kirkpatrick |
| Lynnhaven Elem | Debra Aardahl |
| Malibu | Julie Cole |
| New Castle | Debbie Seth |
| Newtown | Alaena Shultz |
| North Landing | Anne Horsley |
| Ocean Lakes Elem | Della G. Oliver |
| ODC | Anita Parker |
| Parkway | Melissa Smith |
| Pembroke | Nicole Ziernicki |
| Pembroke Meadows | Emily Gregosky |
| Point O’View | Wendy Newman |
| Princess Anne Elem | Nicole Harris |
| Providence | Karen Offer-Hanawalt |
| Redmill | Robin Guilfoyle |
| Rosemont | Cynthia Young |
| Rosemont Forest | Gloria Howard |
| Salem Elem | Barbara J. Williams |
| Seatack | Suzanne Myers |
| Shelton Park | Ellen Pontiff |
| Thalia | Molly Lickfold |
| Thoroughgood | Cathy Louk |
| Three Oaks | Kelly Whitley |
| Trantwood | Tracey Halman |
| White Oaks | Michelle Arnold |
| Williams | Julia Allard |
| Windsor Oaks | Letitia Rendon |
| Windsor Woods | JoAnne Hart |
| Woodstock | Heidi Reynard |
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Congratulations to Mr. Walker and all the Reading Teachers of the Year! Your dedication to educating children and fostering a love for reading is something to celebrate. You will never know to what extent you have touched a child’s life. However, the reward is in knowing that you did.
Way to go, Tammie!