Byers, Ward honored as Henrico's Teacher of the Year, First-Year Teacher of the Year
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Highland Springs High School science teacher Eric Byers was named the Henrico County Teacher of the Year Tuesday during a virtual ceremony. Three Chopt Elementary School first-grade teacher Leeanne Ward earned the school system’s First-Year Teacher of the Year Award.
Byers was selected from a group of five finalists – one from each of the county’s five magisterial districts. He will receive a $1,000 award from the Henrico Federal Credit Union and will represent the county in the Virginia Teacher of the Year competition.
The other finalists – Kenneth Perrault, Jr. (Hermitage High School), Matthew Seidita (Wilder Middle School), Daniel McKinney (Holman Middle School) and Jill Harrell (Gayton Elementary School) each will receive $500 from HFCU.
“He can do anything, he can do everything – and he does,” said Highland Springs High School chemistry teacher Stephanie Anderson in a video.
“Eric Byers is a rockstar,” added Highland Springs High School Principal Kenneth White. “He’s a rockstar, one of the best that we have in the building. He wears multiple hats for us.”
Ward was selected from a group of three finalists; she will receive $250 from HFCU for classroom supplies. The other finalists were Lauren Hicks, a seventh-grade English teacher at Fairfield Middle School, and Mary Catherine Stegall, a music teacher at Seven Pines Elementary School.
Ward “believes that it’s a teacher’s responsibility to provide their students with the highest quality of education possible,” said HCPS Family and Community Engagement Director Adrienne Cole Johnson in introducing Ward during the virtual event. “This means doing their absolute best to shrink achievement gaps, cultivate social-emotional learning alongside academics, and infuse the curriculum with representation of all walks of life.
“It means designing creative experiences where students can investigate curiosities and create a space of celebration. It means using those 180 days to broaden awareness, introduce diverse perspectives and help them learn to think. She believes if you teach students how to actively think, they will be successful in their future endeavors.”
