Through a division-wide vote and a nomination process that involved students, LCPS staff, parents, and community members, Louisa County Public Schools recognized six certified employees and seven classified employees as their school-level Educators and #TeamLCPS MVPs of the Year on Thursday, March 28th. The annual announcement highlights 13 employees each year for their excellence during the school year.
The process to select each school’s Educator of the Year and #TeamLCPS MVP of the Year began in August with the opening of the weekly #TeamLCPS MVP Awards program. Each week, staff, students, parents, and community members are able to submit nominations for members of #TeamLCPS who are going the extra mile to positively impact others. In total, more than 6,500 nominations were received over an eight-month period during the 2023-2024 school year. From there, each school’s entire staff participated in two rounds of voting to narrow the field down to the 13 finalists.
Throughout the week of March 25th, LCPS Superintendent Doug Straley personally delivered the good news to each of the 13 winners. Each honoree also received a framed certificate and honorary gift box.
Reflecting on the process, Straley commended the entire LCPS community for its role in the #TeamLCPS MVP Awards program.
“Our Educator and MVP of the Year awards process is a community-wide effort, and it’s really encouraging to see it culminate in the naming of our school-level educators and MVPs of the year,” Straley said. “Our nominations this year have come from people with diverse backgrounds from all across this county, and what connects them is that they’re thankful for what members of #TeamLCPS are doing for this community.”
LCPS officially announced the results through a congratulatory video on Thursday. In the video, Straley highlighted his pride in the quality of educators working throughout the school division.
“I always say that to have a great team, you need great people, and we have some of the most amazing educators right here in Louisa County,” Straley said. “As we went around the school division and announced our winners, there was so much support and enthusiasm from our students and staff. It was an amazing team atmosphere, and I think that makes us pretty unique here in Louisa County. We are a community that cares for one another and cheers each other on.”
Mr. Straley also praised each of the 13 winners for their dedication to the school division’s non-negotiables, which are support, high expectations, accountability, consistency, positivity, and grit.
“This has been an amazing school year, and all of our 13 winners certainly went above and beyond to support our students and their fellow staff members every step of the way,” Straley said. “Together with their colleagues, they have made dreams become reality for our students.”
Over the next several weeks, a panel comprised of representatives from schools throughout the county will collaborate to select the 2024 William G. Thomas Educator of the Year and the 2024 Wallace L. Tingler MVP of the Year, the school division’s two most prestigious honors. The two division-level winners will be announced during a ceremony in early May.
The #TeamLCPS MVP Awards process and end-of-the-year ceremony are both made possible thanks to the sponsorship of The William A. Cooke Foundation and Old Dominion Insurance and Investments. Louisa County Public Schools would like to thank everyone who submitted a #TeamLCPS MVP nomination during the 2023-2024 school year!
#TeamLCPS MVPs of the Year:
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Jouett Elementary School: bus driver and substitute teacher Wayne Koegler.
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Moss-Nuckols Elementary School: instructional assistant Alconia Anderson.
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Thomas Jefferson Elementary School: instructional assistant Cheryl Sites.
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Trevilians Elementary School: technology specialist Darrell Tinsley.
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Louisa County Middle School: custodian Wilson Herring.
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Louisa County High School: technology specialist April Pekary.
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Central Office and Operations: maintenance specialist Thayne Barber.
LCPS Educators of the Year:
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Jouett Elementary School: first-grade teacher Kasi Dominick.
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Moss-Nuckols Elementary School: second-grade teacher Dana Nemec.
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Thomas Jefferson Elementary School: special education teacher Jodi Dalton.
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Trevilians Elementary School: third-grade teacher Jennifer Bracken.
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Louisa County Middle School: librarian Lewis Coleman.
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Louisa County High School: social studies teacher Sarah Amick.