Lauren Hamm was recently selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent Lewis County High School. She currently is teaching English I, English II, Speech and Communications and introduction to Teaching as a Profession for grades 9-12 at the Lewis County High School. She has a total of 10 years of teaching experience.

Ms. Hamm believes that the definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. In the classroom this definition is relatable in a variety of ways to convey that students are applying and mastering standards and instruction correctly. She believes that teachers need to build and maintain relationships with their students to see instruction be delivered effectively and receive the respect shown within the classroom. Students should feel a sense of comfort when they walk in the door and feel they are appreciated and considered. She has worked in three different school districts over the course of her teaching career and under numerous principals, and one of the most successful necessities a school needs is a positive school culture. She is very happy that she was chosen to teach the new Teaching as a Profession CTE program and is so excited about the future of our school with this program.

Rachel Riley was selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent Lewis County Middle School. She has a total of 19 years of experience in teaching. She currently teaches Language Arts in the 7th grade.

Ms. Riley can see students that show growth and that are proficient, and she regularly analyzes data to see what needs to be retaught and reviewed. She has had students come back to her and tell her that the next grade level is easier because of her class. She was one of the ELA teachers that worked within her school building to push a literacy focus across curriculums. This helped students perform better on tests and be more confident in ELA. Ms. Riley wants her students to see how the things they are learning now will benefit them in the future. She explains to her students the careers that need a college degree, trade schools or straight to work force. She wants them to know what opportunities are out there for them.

Jan Mayes was recently selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent the Lewis County Intermediate School. She has a total of 31 years of teaching experience. She is currently teaching 3rd grade math and science.

Ms. Mayes believes that every educator felt the weight of the Third Grade Retention Law for the 2022-2023 school year. The fear, anger and uncertainty concerning this law caused extreme stress in 3rd grade teachers. She and her colleagues decided to work harder than ever, and reading became their main focus. When TCAP scores were released, Lewis County 3rd graders were ranked third in the state with a total proficiency percentage of 50.42. One of the things she is most proud of is her being instrumental in implementing the Student of the Week Program. This program was developed to focus on children who might not excel in academics but deserve recognition for their exemplary behavior and attendance record. She hopes that these learned behaviors will follow these young people into adulthood.

Lori Cogdill was recently selected as building level Teacher of the Year to represent Lewis County Elementary School. She has a total of 15 years' teaching experience. She currently serves as the Kindergarten classes Early Literacy Educator.

Ms. Cogdill was presented with a unique opportunity to work with all Kindergarten students as an Early Literacy Instructor. This position allows her to serve all students in Kindergarten allowing her to assess needs not only individually, but also across the grade level thus identifying achievement gaps. Benchmark tests are given at the beginning, middle, and end of year, with progress monitoring done periodically, as well as formative assessments throughout daily instruction. The Early Literacy team consists of herself, two paraprofessionals, and the classroom teacher. The goal of meeting student needs and increasing student achievement remains the goal of this team.

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