From left: Superintendent John Hill, Union County High Teacher of the Year Kim Williams, and Principal C.T. Hussion.

BLAIRSVILLE, GA – The teachers of the year for the five Union County schools were announced Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the monthly meeting of the Union County Board of Education.

Union County High’s Kim Williams, Union County Middle’s Danya Nichols, Union County Elementary’s Jordan Rogers, Union County Primary’s Nicole Schuknecht, and Woody Gap’s Althea Cantrell were each named 2019-2020 Teachers of the Year.

From left: Superintendent John Hill, Union County Middle Teacher of the Year Danya Nichols, and Principal Gwen Stafford.

Williams was presented by high-school principal C.T. Hussion, who said Williams was a “leader” among the teachers at the school and one of its most respected educators.

From left: Superintendent John Hill, Union County Elementary Teacher of the Year Jordan Rogers, and Principal Jerry Bavero.

Middle-school Principal Gwen Stafford presented Nichols with her honor, saying Nichols “is a leader in school. She’s that quiet leader. … When she speaks, people will listen to her.”

Principal Jerry Bavero presented Rogers with her honor. Bavero said Rogers “has earned the respect of her peers … and has great leadership potential.”

From left: Superintendent John Hill, Union County Primary Teacher of the Year Nicole Schuknecht, and Principal Millie Owenby.

Schuknecht was presented by Principal Millie Owenby, who said that the teacher is “on the move all day long” and is the model of “patience, stamina, and consistency.”

From left: Superintendent John Hill, Woody Gap Principal Carol Knight, and Teacher of the Year Althea Cantrell.

Woody Gap Principal Carol Knight presented Cantrell with her honor. Knight read comments from other teachers about Cantrell, saying “she’s the favorite of both students and teachers alike.”

The district teacher of the year will be announced at the Union County Board of Education’s regular Nov. 19 meeting.

Also during the Oct. 22 meeting, the board approved three purchases totaling slightly more than $97,000. Those purchases included a hi-top passenger van from Jacky Jones Ford ($35,780), a regular 15-person passenger van from Ware Chevrolet ($29,375), and a contract with Iron Mountain Fencing to replace the fences around the high school football stadium ($32,068).

The board of education also approved the 2020-21 School calendar, which has 190 teacher days and 173 student days. A copy of the calendar can be found below.