Waynesboro Schools Teacher of the Year named

When Alycia Knicely wants to provide that extra dose of motivation for her students to read, she sponsors reading celebrations including a recent reading on the farm day.
The veteran Berkeley Glenn Elementary teacher loves devising strategies to help struggling students read.
“Books are the key to unlock the world,’’ reads a statement on her bulletin board at the Waynesboro elementary school.
Knicely’s dedication was recognized Tuesday when she was named this year’s Waynesboro Schools Teacher of the Year.
The Waynesboro native, who once attended Berkeley Glenn, has had a varied career, including a stint as a recreational therapist at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, and then as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher.
Her hard work as a teacher is fulfilled she says, “just seeing the kids’ eyes when it clicks.”
Sharon Tooley, Berkeley Glenn’s principal, said Knicely has the ability to improve the reading levels of students who are below their respective grade level.
“Alycia’s students always make at least a year’s progress and the majority are on level by the time they finish the year with Alycia,’’ Tooley said.
And Tooley said parents relax when “they find out Alycia will be working with their children.”
Her ongoing goal as a teacher is to continue to find creative strategies so her students can read.
Knicely was also chosen Berkeley Glenn’s Teacher of the Year. Other teachers selected as their schools’ respective Teachers of the Year included:
- Jessica Skeens, Wenonah Elementary School. A video with tributes from Skeens’ students was shown during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
- Susan Holliday, Westwood Hills Elementary. An art teacher, Holliday was praised by Principal Renae Deffenbaugh for using creative ways to help students with art and learning.
- Deborah Waldrop, William Perry Elementary. A fourth-grade teacher, Waldrop “is willing to do whatever it takes” and has co-chaired the school’s curriculum committee this year, said Principal Jeremy Weaver.
- Amy Faulkner, Kate Collins Middle School. Faulkner’s “passion for learning seeps into every pore of her children,’’ said Kate Collins Principal Carol Butler.
- Helen Schurz, Waynesboro High School. Schurz was praised for her passion as a physical education teacher who has co-chaired the department and devised a fitness program for the school’s staff.