Graves County Residents Recognized at WKCTC's Regional Educators Awards and Scholarship Program

Paducah, KY (03/11/2020) — From the time she was a four-year-old playing in her basement, Graves County High School Principal Alison Gregory wanted to be a teacher. The daughter of an educator, Gregory shared her passion for education with the audience of the Third Annual Regional Educators Awards and Scholarship Program at West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Clemens Fine Art Center Thursday, March 5.

"I know my purpose. God gave it to me, and I know it," Gregory said. "It is to push educators to be better and to push my kids to be more than they thought they could be."

Gregory was keynote speaker for the event and also one of more than 60 area teachers, administrators and support staff recognized at the annual event. "So why do I push through? Why do I ask educators to do things they aren't sure about? Why do I ask them to push forward?" she asked. "It's because our kids deserve it. They deserve a lot."

More than 300 fellow educators, family, friends and students were on hand to cheer and recognize the 2020 nominees. Deserving faculty, administrators and staff from throughout the Jackson Purchase and southern Illinois were nominated for awards in four categories: distinguished faculty for grades pre-kindergarten through fifth, distinguished faculty for grades sixth through 12th, distinguished administrators, and the Cornelia Reece Unsung Hero Staff Award, named for the wife of WKCTC President Anton Reece.

"Tonight, we continue our tradition of honoring our region's educators who go above and beyond their daily responsibilities and play a tremendous role in the shaping of education in our region," said co-emcee Kevin O'Neill, WKCTC's vice president of workforce training and economic development. "We honor the vital role all our educators, administrators, staff, and supporters play in the education of our region."

The awards and scholarship program was established in August 2017 by Dr. Reece to recognize pre-kindergarten through high school educators, administrators and staff members who work tirelessly each day on behalf of students, parents and the community in WKCTC's service region, which includes Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall, McCracken, Livingston and Lyon counties in Kentucky and Alexander, Hardin, Massac, Pope and Pulaski counties in Illinois.

More than 80 faculty, staff, and administrators were nominated by students, parents, community members, and colleagues. Each nominee was then asked to submit an application. More than 60 applications were submitted and reviewed by a selection committee made up of educators, business and community leaders who selected two finalists and a winner in each of the four categories.

Other nominees from Graves County included Brittany H. McIntyre, special education teacher at Graves County Middle School; Alexander T. Richards, foreign language teacher at Graves County High School; and Lindsey B. Wilkerson, assistant principal of Graves County Middle School.

In conjunction with the awards program, a scholarship for WKCTC students interested in K-12 teaching or educational support majors has been established to encourage and assist the region's future educators. Proceeds from sponsorships of the event will go directly to the Future Educators scholarship fund.

Winners and finalists were:

Distinguished Faculty (Pre-K-5th) Award

WINNER: Patti F. Farmer, Hendron-Lone Oak Elementary School third grade teacher

FINALISTS: Vicki M. Sims, Concord Elementary School response to intervention (RTI) teacher and Crystal "Crissy" R. Courtney, Heath Elementary School special education teacher

Distinguished Faculty (6th-12th grade) Award
WINNER: Timothy L. Franklin, Paducah Middle School seventh grade science teacher

FINALISTS: Lauren W. Williams, McCracken County High School family and consumer sciences teacher and Shelley H. McGregor, Paducah Tilghman High School chemistry teacher

Distinguished Administrator Award
WINNER: Anne Hancock Cox, Reidland Elementary School principal

FINALISTS: Bob H. Wilson, Ballard County Schools director of pupil personnel and PaTrice T. Chambers, Fulton County Schools assistant superintendent

Cornelia Reece Unsung Hero Staff Award
WINNER: Robyn Y. West, Clark Elementary School KIDS Co. I Family Resource Center coordinator

FINALISTS: F. Dale Story, Concord Elementary School custodian and Jennifer Robinson, Ballard County Schools student data specialist

WKCTC President Reece also gave special recognition to Dr. Donald Shively, Paducah Independent Schools superintendent; J.W. Cleary, president of the Paducah chapter of the NAACP; Aaron Collins, Fulton County Schools Superintendent; and Misty Fritch, a New Simpson Hill School fifth grade teacher in Ozark, Ill., who was also named the 2019-2020 Challenger Learning Center at Paducah Outstanding Educator.

For more information about sponsorship and scholarship opportunities at WKCTC, contact Lee Emmons at 270-534-3084 or lee.emmons@kctcs.edu .

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