By Staff
Beaufort County Schools News Release
Annette Sipe, a nearly 20-year teacher from Eastern Elementary School in Washington was crowned Beaufort County’s Teacher of the Year for 2009-2010.
Chocowinity Primary School’s Maria Gironda, a newcomer by comparison, took runner-up honors in a field of highly talented candidates.
Charles Clark, principal of Northeast Elementary School, was named Principal of the Year.
Sipe currently teaches first grade and reading recovery at Eastern Elementary School. She came to Beaufort County Schools in 2007. She began her career in 1980 teaching general music, chorus and band in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. This year’s top teacher received her bachelor’s degree in music education from Winston-Salem State University and her masters in elementary Education from Garner-Webb University.
Gironda has only been teaching for three years. She has been with Beaufort County throughout that time, teaching children with autism at Eastern Elementary School and now Chocowinity Primary School. She was named North Carolina Autism Society’s Teacher of the Year for 2008-2009. Gironda received a bachelors in special education from East Carolina University in 2004, and her master’s in special education, low incidence disabilities from ECU in 2008.
Clark came through Beaufort County Schools as a student. He began his career in education as a math teacher at Chocowinity High School in 1997. He would begin his path in administration as an assistant principal at P.S. Jones Middle School in 2002. After serving as principal at Chocowinity Middle School, Clark served a term as federal programs director for Beaufort County Schools, but he realized he was meant to be working at the school level. Since the summer of 2007, Clark has led Northeast Elementary School as principal. He holds a bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Clark completed his Master’s degree and advanced studies at East Carolina University.
“We are very proud of all those who sought these recognitions this year,” said John Conway, assistant superintendent of Beaufort County Schools. “Our winners are a very good representation of the high quality staff members we have in the classroom and in our administration.”