2024 Teacher and Service Personnel of the Year Winners
September 12, 2023, 6 p.m.
Join us as we name the 2024 West Virignia Teacher of the Year and Service Personnel of the Year recipients.
Watch the video of this event on YouTube:
Teacher Of the Year
Sharon Cole – Wayne County
Sharon Cole is a second grade teacher at Ceredo-Kenova Elementary School in Kenova. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Marshall University and is certified in Elementary Education grades 1-6 and Social Studies grades 4-8. Cole’s enthusiasm for teaching and learning is reflected in the life-sized “Magic Treehouse Reading Center” in her classroom, which provides a unique learning environment for her students and instills a love of reading in them provides.
As a veteran teacher, she implements rigorous, engaging and differentiated strategies while elevating expectations for all students to achieve academic, social and emotional standards and goals. She is a member of her school’s leadership team, hiring committee, and is the leader of the Second Grade Curriculum Team. Additionally, she served as president of the Ceredo-Kenova Elementary Faculty Senate for three terms. Cole is a model teacher for Marshall University student teachers and serves as a mentor for future teachers.
Service Personnel of the Year
Gary Brydie – Cabell County
Gary Brydie is a school bus operator for Cabell County Schools, a position he has held for more than 12 years. His colleagues consider him a model employee who takes pride in providing safe transportation for his students and serving as a role model for youth. In addition to the positive relationship Brydie has with the students, he is a member of the Neighboring Initiative Charitable Trust Board, serves as chairman of the Positive People Association Board, works as the manager of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Community Service, is a member of the Huntington Black Pastor’s Ministerial Alliance, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Shepard’s House Recovery Program and the Salt of the World Ministries. He is also a member of the Alliance’s Quick Response Team where he meets with community members, paramedics and other agency representatives to address the drug overdose problems facing the community.
