Jennifer Vohar isn’t your typical art teacher; she engages her students’ imaginations. They learn about the vocabulary of art in her class, and are encouraged to transfer that knowledge to other subjects such as geometry. Her projects are often demanding, but she motivates each child masterfully and gives reluctant children the confidence to begin their work. Mrs. Vohar gives her best to her students and in return, her students are inspired to reach higher artistic levels than they thought they ever could.

Ronald Payton is always genuinely concerned about his students and co-workers. His signature line is “How are you doing today?” He also has the extraordinary ability to get students and staff members to do something they never thought possible. He recruits students to play sports they never thought of participating in and convinces unsuspecting teachers to be their coaches. Mr. Payton tirelessly accomplishes all his duties as the Athletic Director and teaches special education classes, as well. His day is packed with responsibilities, yet he always manages to counsel students to be their best - on the field and in the classroom.

Valeria Heckstall is thoroughly dedicated to keeping Lake Taylor High School clean and neat. When there’s work to be done, she not only does an outstanding job, she stays until the work is finished. Her motto is, “I just do whatever needs to be done.” She is always pleasant and never shirks responsibility by declaring that a job is someone else’s job, even when it is. Through her high quality of work, she dedicates herself to students with the same commitment of any teacher or administrator.

Nanette Dean is passionate about preparing her students for the future. She emphasizes the importance of being prepared for post-secondary education and the work place. Her students master complicated tasks like building robots with Legos and then turning them into sophisticated computer programs. Her Technology and Robotics students have won awards from the First Lego League and the TSA regional fair. Ms. Dean has, herself, won numerous awards including the highest award given to Technology Education classroom teachers. She has implemented several new programs at Blair and is always willing to help her peers use technology to improve student learning.

Annie Thomas serves up more than just good nutrition in her cafeteria. Her smile and positive attitude have quickly endeared her to staff and students who affectionately refer to her as “Miss Annie.” With iced tea and lemonade prepared daily, along with a variety of fresh specialty salads, many staff members now enjoy purchasing items from the school lunch menu. Visitors to the school have noticed the family atmosphere that has evolved from her leadership. Because of her dedication and genuine love for people, it’s easy to see that she goes above and beyond simply feeding students.

Evelyn Williamson is enthusiastically committed to serving her students, her school, and her community. She has spent hours after school and over weekends establishing contacts with community members and telling them about all the programs available at the Norfolk Technical Center. Among the organizations she’s developed partnerships with are: the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Norfolk Admirals hockey team. Clearly, her desire is to bring people together through service to make a difference.

Jeremy Clark is more than the average English teacher. He’s more like a teacher-leader. Mr. Clark familiarizes himself with the latest trends and constantly seeks ways to improve his teaching techniques. As the eleventh grade team leader in English, he has embraced challenges and opportunities that would make many teachers cringe. In his classroom, learning is fun and building relationships is important. His devotion and love of learning, coupled with careful planning and execution, ensures the success of his students on a daily basis.

Paul Wilson, Jr. instructs his biology students as if he is a teacher with years of experience, not one fresh out of college. When he was assigned to monitor a study hall class, Mr. Wilson used that time to address and meet the needs of those students. This semester, he gave up his study hall class to teach students who have fallen behind in their biology class. Doing this gives students the opportunity to recover lost credit and to get ready for SOL testing. Mr. Wilson inspires his co-workers with his dedication to the school, his passion for content, and his ever-present smile.

Mohsin Bouziane, a French teacher at Maury High School, believes that students have plenty to learn outside the classroom. Over the past three years, he’s taken groups to France and inspired the Spanish and German teachers to do the same. In addition to French, Mr. Bouziane also speaks Spanish and Arabic fluently. He even teaches Arabic once a week after school to students eager to learn it. Because of his unique and non-threatening demeanor, he is consistently able to get the best results out of even the most reluctant learner.