Director, Community Relations
748-1433
July 18, 2007
For immediate release
Chesterfield names 2008 Teacher of the Year
Complete list of schools’ Teachers of the Year accompanies this news release
A funny bone, a wishbone and a backbone are essential in the classroom, according to Kerry Fretwell, Chesterfield County’s 2008 Teacher of the Year. “Combining a sense of humor, a hopeful attitude and a fierce sense of integrity has never failed me,” explains the ninth-grade English teacher at Cosby High. “I aim far beyond the benchmarks of standardized tests and, inevitably, students rise to meet my expectations.” For example, every student in Mrs. Fretwell’s class for struggling readers advanced two to four years in reading level in just one semester.
She believes that making sure students feel connected to adults within their school is a vital part of education. Each year, Mrs. Fretwell contacts each student’s home to “convey my excitement about having the student in my class. ... I am continually amazed at how effective these brief phone calls are.” She also shows her support for students – and motivates them to achieve at high levels – by attending their concerts and games. “The smallest increments of time spent are returned exponentially throughout the year. … Students … will work for someone who cares about them,” Mrs. Fretwell writes in her Teacher of the Year essay.
“Every day, Kerry Fretwell demonstrates the four goals of our school system’s Design for Excellence: academic excellence for all students, supportive learning environment, knowledgeable workforce and community investment,” said Superintendent Marcus J. Newsome. “She is a wonderful role model.”
Mrs. Fretwell taught English at Providence Middle from 1999 to 2006 before joining Cosby High in September 2006 for its initial year. At Cosby High, in addition to teaching, she served as forensics coach, co-director of the school’s first theatrical production and director of the spring production. She also served as an example instructor for the Johns Hopkins Strategic Reading Program, helped lead staff development sessions on a no-zero grading policy and helped develop the curriculum for the Health Science Specialty Center opening at Cosby this fall. “Mrs. Fretwell has touched the lives of Cosby students, staff and community in many positive ways this year,” wrote the school’s top eight administrators in a joint letter of recommendation. “She has taken the lead in many school activities while maintaining her classroom instructional excellence.” A graduate of the University of Virginia at Wise, Mrs. Fretwell holds certifications in English, journalism, speech and theater arts.
Annually, every Chesterfield school selects its Teacher of the Year, then a committee chooses the countywide Teacher of the Year from those honorees. Chesterfield County Public Schools then submits its Teacher of the Year nomination to the Virginia Department of Education, which selects eight regional Teachers of the Year, then chooses the state’s Teacher of the Year from the regional winners. A complete list of 2008 Teachers of the Year from Chesterfield County schools accompanies this news release. They will be honored in the fall at a gala sponsored by the Chesterfield Public Education Foundation.
Elementary schools
Bellwood Elementary – Tammy Hamilton
Bensley Elementary – Carolyn Booth
Beulah Elementary – Robin Oglesby
Bon Air Elementary – Jennifer Goodrich
Chalkley Elementary – Marianne Kinney
M. Christian Elementary – Kristine Clair
Clover Hill Elementary – Cindy Jones
Crenshaw Elementary – James Wright
Crestwood Elementary – Deborah Poliquin
Curtis Elementary – Teresa Wilkinson
Davis Elementary – Gail Kingrey
Ecoff Elementary – Gayle Dillon
Enon Elementary – Dawn Pavkov
Ettrick Elementary – Stephanie McDonald
Evergreen Elementary – Deborah Goldberg
Falling Creek Elementary – Teena Stuller
Gates Elementary – Lee Evaro
Gordon Elementary – Sarah Warner
Grange Hall Elementary – Kimberly Lowery
Greenfield Elementary – Kimberly Maxey
Harrowgate Elementary – Kisha Brown
Hening Elementary – Kathy Hicks
Hopkins Elementary – Nicole Coleman
Jacobs Road Elementary – Deborah Griffin
Matoaca Elementary – Jennifer Autry
Providence Elementary – Jenny Easter
Reams Road Elementary – Sarah Thomas
Robious Elementary – Deborah Partridge
Salem Elementary – Michelle Scherbenske
Alberta Smith Elementary – Cheryl Orms
Spring Run Elementary – Cynthia Steiner
Swift Creek Elementary – Eileen Edwards
Watkins Elementary – Kristin Martin
Bettie Weaver Elementary – Pamela Soddu
Wells Elementary – Martha McCulloch
Woolridge Elementary – Roger Styron Jr.
Middle schools
Bailey Bridge Middle – Matthew Fuquay
Carver Middle – Robert Cartwright
Chester Middle – Susan Stubbs
Falling Creek Middle – Artice Appling
Manchester Middle – Deborah Bodsford
Matoaca Middle – Ernest Longworth
Midlothian Middle – Thelma Ruhlen
Perrymont Middle – Pamela Nicholas-Stokes
Providence Middle – Deanna Smith
Robious Middle – Andy Pittard
Salem Church Middle – Adrienne Blanton
Swift Creek Middle – Naomi Swyers
High schools
Bird High – Tony Yonta
Chesterfield Tech Center – Melinda Gullotti
Clover Hill High – Margaret Flanagan
Community High – Nerine Woodard
Cosby High – Kerry Fretwell
James River High – Suzanne Kelly
Manchester High – Lt. Col. Timothy Gilbert
Matoaca High – Nolan Shigley
Meadowbrook High – Sandra Harris
Midlothian High – Mary D’Alessio
Monacan High – Philip Harding
Thomas Dale High – Sonja Mix