CONTACT Tim Bullis
Director, Community Relations
748-1433
June 1, 2009 For immediate release

Chesterfield names 2010 Teacher of the Year

            Carolyn Wilkerson is the 2010 Teacher of the Year for Chesterfield County Public Schools. A former corporate engineer, Wilkerson left that career to become a middle school science teacher. Her win was announced today during a surprise meeting with Superintendent Marcus J. Newsome at Tomahawk Creek Middle School.
            Tomahawk Creek Science Department Chair Vincent Hughes describes Wilkerson’s devotion to the school as irreplaceable. “This year would not have been as successful without Carolyn’s dedication,” Hughes wrote. “She has a can-do spirit that is infectious.”
            Wilkerson began teaching at Swift Creek Middle in 2003 before moving to Tomahawk Creek Middle in 2008 for its first year. She has taught eighth-grade physical science, eighth-grade math and seventh-grade life science. Wilkerson founded the Wolfpack spirit club at Tomahawk Creek Middle and led the FIRST LEGO League team at Swift Creek Middle to two state robotics competitions in previous years. At almost every extracurricular event, she takes photos for the Tomahawk Creek sports web site she created.
            Wilkerson earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia and her master’s degree in business administration from the
University of Richmond. She also completed the Gateway to Teaching Career Switcher Program at the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Wilkerson says she left her engineering career after questioning her purpose in life: “Life is so much richer now that I am a teacher! This past week one of my students came to me because she was having trouble understanding some electricity concepts that we had gone over earlier. Together, we used a circuit diagram computer simulation on the Promethean® board and then built some electrical circuits at the workbench. All of a sudden the biggest smile came over that young girl’s face and she exclaimed, ‘I’ve got it!’ How could any corporate salary beat the joy we both felt at that moment?”
            Annually, every Chesterfield County school selects its Teacher of the Year, then a committee chooses the countywide Teacher of the Year from those honorees. Chesterfield County Public Schools submits its Teacher of the Year nomination to the Virginia Department of Education, which selects eight regional Teachers of the Year, then chooses the Virginia Teacher of the Year from the eight regional winners.

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Photos of Teacher of the Year Carolyn Wilkerson from today’s announcement accompany this news release, as does a complete list of 2010 Teachers of the Year from Chesterfield County schools.

Elementary schools
Bellwood — Summer Lannan
Bensley — Paul Teller
Beulah — Mary Ames
Bon Air — LeeAnn Newman
Chalkley — Jamie Buchanan
Marguerite Christian — Kelly Rainey
Clover Hill — Marie Dougherity
Crenshaw — Christopher Lee
Crestwood — Tina Guarnera
Curtis — Stacie Witt
Davis — Agatha Harrison
Ecoff — Maura Mort
Enon — Jennifer Williams
Ettrick — Joy Leath
Evergreen — Mary Brininstool
Falling Creek — Mary Morton
Gates — Donna Kirk
Gordon — Tamara Nicely
Grange Hall — Rebecca Schneeberger
Greenfield — Beth Highton Carter
Harrowgate — Amy Fisher
Hening — Beth Sawyer
Hopkins — Sharon Colgin
Jacobs Road — Catherine Patterson
Matoaca — Lynn Nugent
Providence — Lisa Rakes
Reams Road — Kristi Neal
Robious — Ann Huffer
Salem Church — Breena Edwards
Elizabeth Scott — Melanie Dooley
Alberta Smith — Carol Sebet
Spring Run — Lisa Phillips
Swift Creek — James Herd
Watkins — Cynthia Crute
Bettie Weaver — Courtney Day
Wells — Robert Motrynczuk
Winterpock — Robin Armistead
Woolridge — Terry Bryant

Middle schools
Bailey Bridge — Melanie Pruett
Carver — Barron Cheatham
Chester — Steve Davies
Elizabeth Davis — Jennifer Acome
Falling Creek — Kirt Studevant
Manchester — Peggy Moncure
Matoaca — Belinda Northington
Midlothian — Marcus Brown
Providence — Charles Anderson
Robious — Elizabeth Mercer
Salem Church — Elizabeth Wamsley
Swift Creek — Rita Nablo
Tomahawk Creek — Carolyn Wilkerson

High schools
Bird — Stephanie Smith
Chesterfield Community — Edward Thompson
Clover Hill — Michelle Huber
Cosby — Marcia Borden
James River — William Bray Jr.
Manchester — Richard Munroe
Matoaca — Penelope Edwards
Meadowbrook — Linda Rusher
Midlothian — Sharon Austin
Monacan — Lynn Wilczewski
Thomas Dale — Miriam Bonner
Technical Center — Cathleen McCarthy-Burke
Detention Home — Sigrid Bomba