Hoover City Schools on Dec. 15 announced the 2022 Teachers of the Year Awards.
Bluff Park Elementary STEAM teacher Geri Evans has been named 2022-2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year; and Hoover High biology teacher Paul McEwan has also been named Secondary Teacher of the Year.
In a press release from Hoover City Schools, Evans’ principal describes her as a “master educator with a fearless approach to education, as well as a mentor to other STEAM teachers in the district.”
Evans has been employed with Hoover City Schools for 20 years and at Bluff Park Elementary since 2016. Outside of the classroom, Evans has dedicated her time to Girls in STEM and has played an active role in the Girls Engaged in Math and Science organization in Hoover for the past six years.
“Evans’ goal as a teacher is to share her love for learning with her students so they will become lifelong learners like herself,” the press release stated.
Evans was a 2020 state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
McEwan is teaching ninth grade pre-AP biology and 11th and 12th grade International Baccalaureate biology classes. He has taught at Hoover High since 2006.
McEwan’s principal praised his strategies in the classroom, saying he meets the academic needs of his students with “interesting and innovative labs and lessons.”
McEwan was Alabama’s 2021 Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year, according to the school system release. The release stated that McEwan wants to be remembered as a teacher who demanded a lot from students and fiercely supported them every step of the way.
Hoover’s selection committee for Teacher of the Year praised Evans and McEwan for their experience, according the to release, and noted the high regard their peers have for them both.
Other winners of Teacher of the Year awards at the campus level were:
Elementary/Intermediate:
Brock’s Gap: Lisa Sparkman
Deer Valley: Samantha Thrasher
Green Valley: Melissa
Wilcox Greystone: Anna Tow
Gwin: Kelley Feagin
Riverchase: Courtney Beam
Rocky Ridge: Jennifer Manley
Shades Mountain: Elizabeth Lochamy
South Shades Crest: Karen Pirkle
Trace Crossings: Celeste Burton
Middle:
R.F. Bumpus: Jasmine
Jenkins Berry: Tory Hixon
Simmons: Sarah Cox
High:
Spain Park: Joy Gonzalez
RC3: Andy Poker
