Martin County School District, Education Foundation
Of Martin County Announce 20-21 Teacher of the Year
The Education Foundation of Martin County (EFMC) and the Martin County School District (MCSD) are proud to announce that Martin County High School’s Leigh Anne Pike has been named the District’s 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year. The winner was announced during the Education Foundation of Martin County’s Teacher of the Year announcement event on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at Audi Stuart. This year’s presenting sponsors are Audi Stuart and Infiniti Stuart.
Ms. Pike, a Library Media Specialist, has spent the last 16 years as an educator in the Martin County School District, including the last three at Martin County High School (MCHS). Dedicated to ensuring the success of all students, she has worked as an elementary Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher at the elementary level and also as a Response to Intervention (RTI) coach. She brings her passion for technology and digital citizenship to her current role as the Library Media Specialist at MCHS, where she fosters a thirst for knowledge in her students.
“All too often we hear, even from adults, ‘I hate to read.’ We have to be inventive and changing to meet the literacy needs of today’s youth,” Ms. Pike wrote in her nomination packet. “Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim on the future. In our business, the future rests in our children becoming productive, responsible citizens.”
Prior to her arrival at Martin County High School, Ms. Pike served for seven years as the Library Media Specialist at Palm City Elementary School (PCE). It was here that she began to realize the crucial role she played in supporting what students were learning in their classrooms.
“Reading should be linked to or embedded within the study of subjects,” she shared. “To support this end at Palm City Elementary, I created and promoted STEAMLINE. STEAMLINE is Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Literacy, Inquiry, Navigation and Exploration.”
Her tagline and the very real subjects that supported it spread quickly across campus. Community coding collaborations were established, contests for students to create artwork depicting their favorite literary characters were launched, and weekly STEAMLINE enrichment classes – which allowed students to dress up as scientists and investigate concepts – quickly became popular events. Perhaps most popular with students was the creation of the Wizarding World of PCE -a personal spin on J.K. Rowling’s hit Harry Potter series. Students were immersed into Hogwarts and enrolled in herbology, potions, magic and flying classes to earn highly-coveted wands.
“Yearly data from the Florida Standards Assessment program attests to the value of a school embedded with a STEAMLINE culture, as Palm City Elementary has achieved and maintained an ‘A’ school rating since its inception,” Ms. Pike said. “Still within my third year at Martin County High School, many of these initiatives influence the changes I am making here.”
“Leigh Anne Pike brings something special to Martin County High School,” Principal Al Fabrizio wrote in his letter of recommendation. "Our media center has undergone various changes throughout the years. However, in the last two years under Leigh Anne’s leadership, the space has transformed right before our eyes. The media center has become a place where many students want to be. Any requested assistance is met with a smile, attention to detail and a dedication that rises above all expectations. Leigh Anne exemplifies what it means to be an extraordinary teacher leader; her knowledge and leadership is extremely valuable to the students and adults at Martin County High School.”
“I seize every opportunity I can to consciously learn new things so that I may live life more deeply,” Ms. Pike shares. “Never stop learning, ‘cause life never stops teaching. Seeing others learn and learning with them excites me. I feel alive!”
Superintendent John D. Millay was proud to see Ms. Pike take home this year’s award.
“Leigh Anne Pike is an outstanding educator who recognizes the importance of making learning come to life for students,” he shared. “In her role as a library media specialist, she continues to masterfully develop initiatives that support and reinforce the learning that is occurring in classrooms. She is an admired strategic thinker who always maintains her positivity and growth mindset. I am honored to have her represent the Martin County School District as the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year.”
“The Education Foundation of Martin County, with support from our wonderful community sponsors, is proud and honored to produce the Teacher of the Year program," said Tyson Waters, President of the EFMC. "This event, though different than years past due to COVID-19, is always a wonderful time to celebrate our teachers. Our community is so fortunate to have so many exceptional educators who have such an impact on our children each and every day. Our Martin County Teacher of the Year, Leigh Anne Pike, is a shining example of all the incredible things our teachers do and the difference they make in our lives. We congratulate Leigh Anne, and look forward to supporting her as she represents Martin County in the running for Florida's Teacher of the Year award."
"There is a certain magic and beauty on the face of a child as they enter the classroom for the first time,” said Mario Murgado, President/CEO of Infiniti Stuart and Audi Stuart. “The teacher may not even understand what is happening as they greet the children on that first day as they look into the eyes of a future president, scientist, firefighter, Nobel peace prize winner, teacher, architect or nurse. The possibilities of what these children can become are limitless. One book, one child, one teacher can change the world!”
In addition to honoring the District’s 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year, winners were recognized in the Elementary, Middle and High School categories:
Elementary Teacher of the Year – sponsored by Publix Super Market Charities
Kate Logan, Port Salerno Elementary School, Fifth Grade Teacher
Ms. Logan is currently in her seventh year as an educator in the Martin County School District. In addition to teaching her fifth-grade students, she has served as a spelling bee coach, book bowl coach, PTO member, and AVID school representative at Port Salerno Elementary School. She is a member of the NAACP of Martin County and previously taught karate at Dragon Dojo in Hobe Sound.
“One of my favorite moments of the day happens while I stand outside the door, waiting for my students to be released [from related arts],” Ms. Logan wrote in her nomination packet. “Often, I arrive and get a peek inside the classroom while they clean up an art project or finish a song on the recorder. Inevitably, a child looks up and catches my eye through the rectangular window in the door. They smile or wave and my heart fills. This is the moment that inspires me above all others – the joy I feel when I see my students for the first time each morning and they see me, and the expectations for a day full of laughter and learning.”
“Ms. Logan’s strengths are her willingness to take risks, flexibility, interpersonal skills, setting high expectations for her students, understanding of diverse learning needs, commitment to social justice and eagerness to learn new skills,” Principal Allysa Eberst wrote in her letter of recommendation. “Ms. Logan is a strong advocate for her students. She plans to meet their needs and delivers differentiated instruction. She willingly assists others and shares her knowledge and expertise.”
Middle School Teacher of the Year – sponsored by Education Foundation of Martin County
Juanita Johnson, Stuart Middle School, English Language Arts Teacher
Ms. Johnson is currently in her thirteenth year as an educator and her third year serving the children of Martin County. In addition to teaching English Language Arts, she also serves as the School Culture Leader and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) Coordinator at Stuart Middle School. She was recognized by the Florida Department of Education in 2018 as a High Impact Teacher.
“I am a teacher because for the kids who remember me with a smile, a ‘Gosh, Ms. Johnson was tough!’ or my favorite – ‘you’re the teacher I didn’t ask for but know I needed’ – to them, I changed a small part of their world,” Ms. Johnson wrote in her nomination packet. “It is my hope they will pay it forward, that they will help someone else. I will never be known as one of the greats – a Nelson Mandela or Muhammad Ali – but I work hard to change the world.”
“Juanita is an innovative teacher who seamlessly incorporates technology to engage students and to monitor their progress,” Principal Ebony Jarrett wrote in her letter of recommendation. “She challenges students to reach their full potential while developing lessons and activities that also focus on the social-emotional needs of middle school learners. She understands the importance of building positive relationships with students and works to create a welcoming and supportive learning environment to ensure that all learners reach their highest potential.”
High School Teacher of the Year – sponsored by Keiser University, Port Saint Lucie
Leigh Anne Pike, Martin County High School, Library Media Specialist
**Winner of the 2020-2021 Martin County School District Teacher of the Year Award
