Phenix City’s Heart of Community awards to include car giveaway

Phenix City’s 2017 Heart of the Community awards ceremony Saturday will honor service to the school system -- and will announce one lucky winner of a car.

Admission is free to the event at Central High School, starting with a 6 p.m. reception and followed by the 7 p.m. program.

Gil Dyer, owner of Gil’s Auto Sales, donated a 2011 Hyundai Sonata to the Phenix City Education Foundation, which conducts the Heart of the Community awards program, now in its 16^th year. Tickets for a chance to win the car are $10. Each school or school group that sells these tickets keeps half of the proceeds and donates the other half to the foundation, said Phenix City Schools child nutrition and health services director Brindlea Griffin, who facilitates the awards program.

Each school in the city nominates a candidate for each category, and a panel of judges from the foundation evaluates the applications and selects the winners. No nominations are made for the Administrator of the Year award because the superintendent selects that winner, said Pat Waldrop, the foundation’s president.

Here are the nominees for the other categories:

Classroom Teacher of the Year: Bart Butler, John Chapiewski, Lisa Rushing, DeeDee Griesheim, Krystle Walton, Travisa Miller, Allen Rose, LaWanda Caple, Jessica Winters, Tashunda Jones, Jenna Cook and Brandi Shoultz.

Specialty Area Teacher of the Year: Stuart Brown, Ginger Dempsey, Sheryl Siniard, Miranda Griggs, Zachery Berklin, Heather Blain, Jessica Pittman, Anna Barnoski, Cassey Porter, Purity Evans and Sarah Kimmel.

Stuart Brown, Ginger Dempsey, Sheryl Siniard, Miranda Griggs, Zachery Berklin, Heather Blain, Jessica Pittman, Anna Barnoski, Cassey Porter, Purity Evans and Sarah Kimmel.

Rookie Teacher of the Year: Allison Tjelmeland, Terry Boyer, Chelsea Myers, Spenser Davis, Jamie Wheeler, Steven Sanders, Tia Parham, Taylor Britton, Sarahann Arcila and Paisley Alexander.

STEM Teacher of the Year: Sheree Wilson, Ashley Sykes, Elizabeth Albright, James Dunkle, Haleigh Peterson, Robert Kushmar, Ashley Allen, Preston Pritchett and Carrie Miller.

Support Employee of the Year: Regina Hall, Sherron Nelson, Georgina Melendrez, Julie Dunbar, Kristyn Pace, Tanya Hayter, Alshaundra Everett, Connie Hampton, Kenyetta Gosha, Debra Bias, Shirley Lee and Ashlee Cooley.

Health Services Employee of the Year: Cindy Howard, Kelli Leak, Andrea Johnson, Cindy Woodall, Tammy Simmons, Stephanie Johnson, China Williams, Annie Wood and Shay Pickett.

Transportation Employee of the Year: James E. Nix, Al Banks, James Willis, John Thomas, Devin Curley, Laura Hill and Tommie Gary.

Food Service Employee of the Year: Pamela Hood, Linda Averett, Mary Holdinghausen, Teddy Huff, Ilona Shavers, Lisa Smith, Heavenly Phillips, Tonia Kelley, Alesica Miller, Laura Sewell, Patsy Luke and Daphne Walker.

Maintenance Employee of the Year: Chad Jernigan, Lorenzo King, Jeffrey Heath, Antony Billingsley, David Bellamy, Gabe Farley, Shane Brown and Tim Davis.

Custodial Employee of the Year: Elijah Foster, Catherine Hamilton, Gerry Strong, Arnold Bellamy, Stephanie Echols, Jeffery Elam, Stephanie Long, Donell Lipscomb, Moses Sims and Wanda Peabody-Shanks.

Community Member of the Year: Huckaby Brothers Floor Covering, Publix, Jimmie Fryer, Veronica Walker, Eddie Lowe, Summerville Baptist Church and Barbara Jones.

Partner in Education of the Year: Chick-fil-A, Publix, South Griffin Lodge 697, The Fort Church, Epworth Church, Gil’s Auto Sales, Pine Hill Baptist Church and Christ Community Church.

Volunteer of the Year: Kathy Horsley, Kelli Sharpe, Carol Addison, Miley Gosha, Berkley Tante, Brinda Thomas, Janet Gregg, Laura Thompson and Jasmine Truesdale.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Phenix City’s Heart of Community awards to include car giveaway."