Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 1-28-22

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Hillsborough County’s Excellence In Education Winners Revealed Thursday Evening
Amid cheers and support from a crowd of school col- leagues, family and community leaders, three Hillsborough County Public Schools staff now hold a new title: winner of the Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year, Instructional Sup- port Employee of the Year and Teacher of the Year.
Hillsborough Education Foundation in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools announced the three winners at the annual Excellence in Education Awards Thursday night at the Straz Center, pre- sented by Suncoast Credit Union.
2022 Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year Benigno Lopez, a Success Coach at Shields Middle School (230 nominees). Lopez has served as an educator with HCPS for 18
BENIGNO LOPEZ ...Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year
years, 27 years total in Florida. 2022 Instructional Support Employee of the Year Faith Smith, Parent Liaison Aide at Temple Terrace Elementary
FAITH SMITH ...Instructional Support Employee of the Year
(225 nominees). This is her sec- ond year working for HCPS. In her role, Faith created a Parent Resource Center and is commit- ted to working with students,
LAURA WIDERBERG ...2022 Teacher of the Year
families, staff and community members.
2022 Teacher of the Year Laura Widerberg, Biology Teacher at Armwood High (235
nominees). She started teaching at Brandon High in 2000 and moved to Armwood High in 2016 where she is Science De- partment Chair.
Every day, more than 24,000 teachers and staff in Hillsbor- ough County make a difference in students’ lives. The winners received this top honor out of 675 nominees chosen by their peers from schools across the district.
“We are incredibly proud to recognize our educators and support staff and the impactful work they’ve been able to ac- complish, especially this year while facing many pandemic-re- lated challenges, to ensure all students have the support they need to succeed academically and personally,” said Hillsbor- ough Education Foundation CEO Kim Jowell.
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