Roanoke City Public Schools held a celebration at Roanoke Country Club May 26th to honor the local Teacher of the Year nominees. During the event the three finalists were named, as well as the District’s Teacher of the Year.
Nominated as ‘District Teacher of the Year’ was Eboni Harrington, 7th grade math teacher at Lucy Addison Middle School. 2nd Place winner was James Hyatt an English Language Learners teacher at Fishwick Middle School. Picked 3rd place was Joy Pohlman, Digital Applications & Web Design teacher at Roanoke Technical Education Center (ROTEC).
A committee, made up of Roanoke City Public Schools employees, retirees, and last year’s Teacher of the Year reviewed this year’s nominations and selected the finalists and District Teacher of the Year.
“All the RCPS Teacher of the Year nominees were outstanding in their classroom effectiveness and commitment to excellence for the students of RCPS,” the committee released in a statement. “The three finalists stood out for their exceptional commitment to improving the lives of the students beyond the classroom and their dedication to the success of their school and of the district. Ms. Harrington’s passion for her students, her resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges, and her unwavering determination exemplify our division’s vision to be a model for urban public education”
Eboni Harrington has taught at Lucy Addison Middle School for the past four years. Prior to that, she taught for two years at a charter school in North Carolina. A native of Roanoke, she attended Roanoke City Public Schools until 4th- grade and credits her family for becoming a teacher.
“As the oldest of eight, I always find myself teaching and learning from my siblings daily,” said Eboni. “I aspire to be a great role model for my siblings by modeling resilience, confidence, and perseverance. I developed these characteristics by observing my mother advocate for my brother during a difficult period during his senior year. His privileges to graduate had been revoked and she fought effortlessly to reinstate his rights to walk. Watching her fight for my brother ignited something in me that reassured my career choice to become a teacher.”
Harrington is a leader in her school as well as the community. She is passionate about her mission to, “empower, encourage, and uplift our youth through mentorship, community engagement activities, and education. Through this platform I hope to inspire our youth to believe in their aspirations and pull from the resources around them.”
As part of her winnings she received a $1,000 check from Teacher of the Year Sponsor Member One Federal Credit Union. She will now compete for Regional Teacher of the Year. Other Teacher of the Year Sponsors included 2nd Place Sponsor ESS and 3rd Place Sponsors Hughes & Associates Architects and Lee Hartman & Sons.
