Teachers honored at May School Board meeting for MERIT Award

Graduate Polk program also honored

A trio of teachers from each school level were honored during the latest Polk County Board of Education meeting for the latest MERIT Awards.

As the school year winds down, the PSD honored Tiffany Womack, Jenny Hawkins and Brian Griffin thanks to nominations from students and staff alike for the May 2023 MERIT Awards. The month focused specifically on the work of teachers for the MERIT Award, which honors employees in various categories throughout the year.

Tiffany Womack (center) is a fourth grade teacher at Van Wert Elementary School.

Womack won the MERIT Award for the Elementary level for May. She’s a fourth grade teacher at Van Wert Elementary School, in her third year of educating students locally. She’s a graduate of University of West Georgia and is working on a Master’s Degree from Walden University in mathematics and reading literacy. She’s a Silver Creek native, but now lives in Polk County with her husband Justin and daughter Caroline.

Jenny Hawkins (center) of Rockmart Middle was the Middle School MERIT Award winner for May 2023.

Hawkins works in Special Education at Rockmart Middle School. She’s served in education as a paraprofessional for a number of years, and went back to school to complete her teaching degree.

Brian Griffin (center) was honored as the MERIT Award winner for May 2023 at the high school level.

Griffin, the high school winner, is a science teacher at Cedartown High School. Prior to getting into education, he worked as a Lab quality control manager in Cartersville, and has degrees from University of West Georgia and Reinhardt. He’s in his 20th year in the classroom at Cedartown High as of the beginning of the school year.

The trio of teachers weren’t the only educators to be honored this past Tuesday during the Board of Education meeting.

Educators who make the Graduate Polk program possible were honored by the Polk School District in May.

Following along in the school’s regular rotation of inspirational themes over the past years, Superintendent Dr. Katie Thomas honored the educators involved in the Graduate Polk program as part of the You Shine Bright theme throughout the spring.

She noted that throughout the program over the past years, hundreds of meals have been sent home, students are graduating in greater numbers no matter their background, and families are being helped through organized efforts by educators in the district to reach out and seek to help students in need.