Five public school teachers selected as finalists for the St. Johns County Teacher of the Year honor were recently announced by Investing in Kids (INK!) during a surprise visit to each school. The St. Johns County Education Foundation, which operates as INK!, hosts the annual Teacher of the Year selection process and celebration to acknowledge and commemorate excellence in teaching, and emphasize the importance and impact of the profession in the community.
Fifty-two teachers from every public school in St. Johns County were nominated by their peers as the Teacher of the Year for their school in a selection process that began in October. An INK! selection committee narrowed the search to five finalists through a process that includes a review of the teachers’ written applications, letters of recommendation and an interview with the selection committee.
Kristen Anderson, a first-grade teacher at Valley Ridge Academy, has more than 11 years of teaching experience in St. Johns County, and previously in Marion County, Fla., Michigan and New Jersey. She teaches a strong literacy curriculum while constantly ensuring best practices. She coaches middle school boys and girls volleyball for Valley Ridge Academy.
Samantha Gayso is an eighth grade teacher in English Language Arts at Alice B. Landrum Middle School in Ponte Vedra. She has been teaching in St. Johns County District schools and previously in Pennsylvania for 13 years. Gayso received a Civics Seal of Excellence in 2023 from the St. Johns County School District.
Tina Hemby is an eighth-grade pre-algebra teacher at Mill Creek Academy with 29 years of experience as an educator in mathematics, elementary education and general science in St. Johns County District Schools, and previously in South Carolina. She has been honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Robyn Rice is teaching Exceptional Student Education at John A. Crookshank Elementary School in St. Augustine. For more than 22 years, she has been an educator for St. Johns County District Schools and previously in Georgia while specializing in social emotional learning support for students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
Duane Spears has taught 10th and 11th grade students at Allen D. Nease High School for more than seven years as an instructor in Naval Science studies and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC). Spears served with the U.S. Navy for 27 years and was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and the Presidential Volunteer Service Medal.
The countywide Teacher of the Year program builds community awareness for the high level of instructional skills, professional excellence and student interaction among educators and beyond school walls. The announcement of the educator selected as the St. Johns County District Teacher of the Year will be made on Feb. 1 at the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort.
The St. Johns County District Teacher of the Year becomes a candidate for Florida Teacher of the Year and receives various awards sponsored by local businesses and donors including the opportunity to receive a new car from Beaver Toyota St. Augustine.
