May 12, 2015: The Club’s annual celebration of excellence in education was held this week. We recognized the Service Above Self Scholarship recipient from each of the four high schools on the peninsula, as well as Charleston County School District’s Teacher of the Year and Honor Roll Teachers.
Service Above Self Scholars, presented by Rotary Committee Chair Jeremy Cook:
Ashley Hall – Bailey Horn plans to attend Centre College. During high school she used her love of sailing to teach selflessness and teamwork to 3rd graders at Meeting Street Academy. She applies the mantra of “ship-shipmate-self” to direct her actions.
Burke – Micheala Bennekin will attend Clemson University and plans to study Computer Science. Giving back is a passion of Michaela’s, who has volunteered since she was in elementary school, most recently as a Teacher Cadet at Sanders Clyde Elementary.
First Baptist – Owen Eberhardt will be Pre-Med at Clemson University this fall. Along with athletics and school leadership, Owen concentrated his volunteer efforts on the homeless, to include being a volunteer team leader at Crisis Ministries.
Porter Gaud – Catherine Sherer is headed to USC Honors College, majoring in Environmental Science. Her passion for the beauty of place and importance of home manifested itself in many volunteer efforts, including Beach Sweep, Adopt A Highway, Habitat, YMCA, and the VA.
Honor Roll Teachers and Teacher of the Year, presented by Rotary Committee Chair Joan Ustin:
- Mary Ashlie Barnes, Oakland Elementary
- Dana Monahan, Hunley Park Elementary
- Amy Ryan, Pinckney Elementary
- Denisse Stanbery, C.E. Williams – Runner Up
- Emilie Woody, Wando High – Teacher of the Year
Interim School Superintendent, Michael Bobby, and Brad Davis of Rick Hendrick Imports assisted with the presentation. A prevailing theme among the finalists was a commitment to personally engage students and make real-world connections for service. In her remarks, Ms. Woody tied the honorees’ interests in literacy, the arts, and developing the whole student back to the Rotary Club’s core values and activities such as Rotary Readers and Windows.
—Tammy Coghill, Keyway Committee