by Taylor Bryant
University of West Georgia alumna Ashley Rickard was named 2014 Teacher of the Year for Newton County School System. The Eastside High School teacher and recent UWG graduate was presented a $1,000 prize, a crystal vase, three months free car rental from Covington Ford and a dozen roses during a special ceremony at Newton High School for her outstanding efforts in education.
Ashley has spent her entire teaching career in Newton County Schools, beginning at Eastside High School in 2009, teaching Advanced Placement English Language and Composition since her start. She also serves as the technology teacher leader for Newton County School System and received her masters in Instructional Technology from the University of West Georgia in April 2014. In addition to her leadership in technology, she has completed her certification to teach gifted students and serves as Eastside’s gifted coordinator.
“I want my students to have enough self-awareness to recognize their formula for success,” Ashley wrote in her Teacher of the Year essay packet. “I hunger for them to understand that they are the sole holders of the keys to their future-the very foundation of my students’ success is their ability and their courage to be independent thinkers. I am genuinely overwhelmed with immense gratification knowing that I play just a small part in teaching my students how to think.”
Beyond the classroom, Ashley is a strong supporter of community involvement. By encouraging her students to do the same, she was able to guide them in raising $1,300 for the American Cancer Society. She even created a Random Acts of Kindness initiative at her school where students captured photographic moments of their kind acts. Total, the students conducted more than 600 random acts of kindness in one semester.
