The Hall County School District recognized over 100 educators and staff during its 2025 Night of Honor Monday night.
The event honors each school’s Teacher of the Year and retirees from across the district. Of the 36 teachers who were presented with the TOTY award, two were the last to ever accept the honor on behalf of their schools.
As McEver Arts Academy and Oakwood Elementary School prepare to close and merge into Everwood Elementary School, Kimberly Galvan and Taylor Riley reflected on their time at their respective schools.
Galvan, a first-grade teacher at McEver, shared that being named the school's final Teacher of the Year holds sentiment, having also been a student there.
“It's like a full circle closing,” Galvan said. “I came in third grade to McEver. I finished off at McEver. So to be working at McEver, to even have an impact on those students and now being recognized as teacher of the year, it's amazing.”
Riley, who teaches fourth grade at Oakwood, emphasized that the educators who came before her inspire her love for education.
“I'm extremely honored because I've just had so many teachers who have poured into me,” Riley said. “I was a student in Hall County. I give [my teachers] all the credit, because they poured into me, helped me to become the teacher that I am.”
Both teachers will continue their careers at Everwood in the fall.
The event also saw the recognition of the first-ever Teacher of the Year from Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary School. The school opened for the 2024-25 academic year and combined Riverbend and White Sulfur elementary schools.
SDDES kindergarten teacher Patricia Cole shared that as she and her colleagues worked to bring the two communities together, they remained dedicated to their students.
“I love seeing kids grow. Being a kindergarten teacher, I have the kids who come in, some not even knowing how to hold a pencil, once they learn anything, that look in their eyes is so amazing.”
Teachers of the Year are voted on by their peers each year. A full list of TOTY award winners and their schools is as follows:
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Morgan Cocchi-Academies of Discovery at South Hall Middle School
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Beau Austin- Cherokee Bluff High School
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Emily Allison- Cherokee Bluff Middle School
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Kyle Truelove- Chestatee High School
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William Ernest- Chestatee Academy
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Megan Chambers- Chestnut Mountain Creative School of Inquiry
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Lauren York- Chicopee Woods Elementary School
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Allison Griswold-CW Davis Middle School
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Joshua Satterfield- East Hall High School
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Morgan Gardner -East Hall Middle School
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Jessica Smith-Flowery Elementary School
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Jessica Sizemore- Flowery Branch High School
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Laurie Costello-Friendship Elementary School
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Jason Nations- Johnson High School
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Connie Henderson- Lanier College and Career Academy
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Lorrie Miller-Lanier Elementary School
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Erin Longberger-Lula Elementary School
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Mirela Mihetiu- Lyman Hall Elementary School
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Lynn Cox- Martin Elementary School
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Kimberly Galvan McEver Arts Academy
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Kaitlin Smith- Mount Vernon Exploratory
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Jennifer Skidmore- Myers Elementary School
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Steve Oliver- North Hall High School
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Elizabeth Gilstrap- North Hall Middle School
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Taylor Riley- Oakwood Elementary School
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Patricia Cole -Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary School
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Deanna Margavich- Sardis Elementary School
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Stephanie Milwood- Spout Springs Elementary School
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Carol Ann Belle Clark- Sugar Hill Academy of Talent and Career
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Kaitlyn Silva- Tadmore Elementary School
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Matthew Goodman -The Foundry
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Ashley Welborn- Wauka Mountain Elementary School
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Jimmy Gault-West Hall High School
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Emily D’Urso- West Hall Middle School
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Jhon Rendon- World Language Academy Elementary School
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Marcos Santiago-Caraballo- World Language Academy Middle School
Several retirees were also recognized for their decades of service to education and to the school district. Among them was Sugar Hill Academy Principal Jennifer Deaton, who has worked in the system for 30 years.
As Deaton reflected on her career with the district, she recalled beginning her role as principal during the pandemic.
“It was interesting, as it made it very difficult to bond with teachers, parents and the community in general,” she said. “Just because we were teaching from home, and then we were in there with a mask. And to survive, that has been amazing. Hall County has been good to me.”
East Hall High Principal Jeff Cooper will also retire at the end of the school year. Cooper was unable to attend the event, but was honored by HCSD officials.
