The Cherokee County
School District not only
encourages excellence in
every aspect of operations,
but also recognizes those
who make that excellence
happen.
Annual recognition programs
celebrate the best of
the best, from teachers and
staff to parents and volunteers,
with support for the
events provided by generous
business and community
sponsors. You can
learn about all of the
annual awards, the winners
and finalists on the CCSD
website at https://www.
cherokeek12.net/Content2/
awards-recognitions
Teacher of the Year:
Chelsea Leming, Indian
Knoll Elementary
School
Former students of
fifth-grade teacher Chelsea
Leming describe her as the
“amazing teacher you will
never forget.”
The CCSD Teacher of
the Year sees her students
the same way – as amazing
young people who can
change her life for the
better.
She remembers standing
on the shores of Tybee
Island with a student
during a class field trip. It
was a moment that “forever
changed her teaching.”
“Wow,” one student
28 CLASS ACT | 2021-2022
said. “I’ve never seen this
before.”
“Never seen what?” Ms.
Leming asked.
“The ocean.”
Ms. Leming, who now
is in her 13th year as an
educator, said it was a deep
“aha” moment. “I realized
what a privilege it was to
share such experiences
with young people, and
what a responsibility I bore
to show my students the
world.”
Connecting her students
to the world now is a
major component of both
her social studies and
English language arts
lessons, showcased not
only in the variety of what
they read and watch, but
also in how they together
transform her classroom
visually and connect with
authors and experts from
around the world through
technology.
“Chelsea is a visionary
who puts so much care into
teaching and making
connections,” Superintendent
of Schools Dr. Brian V.
Hightower said, noting her
leadership in promoting
social and emotional
learning programs at her
school. “She makes me
proud to serve as her
Superintendent.”
The Finalists and CCSD
Teacher of the Year are
selected by a panel of
CCSD Teacher of the Year Chelsea Leming of Indian Knoll ES.
community leaders who
evaluate applications from
each school’s Teacher of
the Year; school winners
are selected by their peers.
The three other Finalists
are: Cherokee High School
theatre teacher Dr. Jodi
Burn, E.T. Booth Middle
School sixth-grade social
studies teacher Cathy
Fernandez, and Boston
Elementary School fourthgrade
Digital Learning
teacher Brenna Lloyd.
The Teacher of the Year
Awards are sponsored by a
long list of generous businesses
and organizations
including Presenting
Sponsors: Cherokee County
Best in Class
CCSD recognizes outstanding employees,
partners and volunteers with annual awards
Educational Foundation,
Credit Union of Georgia,
Northside Hospital Cherokee
and Shottenkirk Chrysler,
Dodge, Jeep and Ram
of Canton.
Counselor of the Year:
Heather Chesnut,
Clayton Elementary
School
Clayton Elementary
School’s school counselor
sees her mission in three
parts: to connect, to educate
and to advocate.
Heather Chesnut meets
and exceeds that mission
with love, hope and a lot of
hard work, according to her
students, their families and
/awards-recognitions