Staff Reports
Metcalfe Elementary music teacher Dwynette Smith was selected as Alachua County’s 2024 Teacher of the Year on Thursday night.
The announcement was made at the annual Robert W. Hughes Teacher of the Year ceremony held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville.
Smith was one of three finalists that included High Springs Community School reading teacher Sarah Rendek and Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School science teacher Jenifer Knowles.
She has been teaching music at public schools and in private settings since 1998. She has been teaching at Metcalfe for nearly four years and spent six years at Buchholz High School.
“I love teaching music, and I want to instill that love of music in my students,” said Smith in a press release. “I try to make sure they know they can come to music class and be respected, treasured, and praised, all while learning new skills and being exposed to a varied and rich musical landscape.”
Smith was one of 39 teacher honorees selected from each of the Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) districts recognized at the ceremony.
Smith shared on Thursday night, “that while she was in elementary school, her family went through tough times. School, she said, was her refuge. It was her teachers who gave her the encouragement she needed to excel, and her music teacher who inspired her to teach music,” according to the ACPS press release.
“As I grew, I knew that I wanted to learn as much about music as I could,” she said in the press release. “But that all started in a classroom with a teacher who loved what she taught and showed it. That feeling of being cared for and encouraged is what I try to impart to my students in music class.”
All 39 teacher honorees received a $500 award through donations from local organizations, individuals and businesses. The Education Foundation for Alachua County Public Schools hosts the annual event and the primary sponsors included the Florida Credit Union, Cox Communications and SWI Photographers.
“We are proud to support teachers through the work of the Foundation,” said The Education Foundation’s Executive Director Jayne Moraski in the press release. “I’m amazed at the innovative ideas our teachers have to engage their students and the way they genuinely care about and know each one of their students.”
Buchholz High School teacher Karen Kearney was selected as the 2023 Alachua County Teacher of the Year.