Hampton professor receives award for outstanding educator from SC Farm Bureau
| Augusta Chronicle
Hampton County is rich with excellent teachers who go the extra mile to develop tomorrow’s growing minds. This week, one of them was recognized for her work by a state organization.
Rebecca Evans received the Betty J. DeWitt Award for Best Educator in 2020 during recent ceremonies at the SC Farm Bureau’s 77th Annual Meeting in Columbia.
Evans, an educator at Fennell Elementary School, received a $ 1,000 cash award, praise from the SCFB Women’s Leadership Committee, in recognition of her efforts, as well as an opportunity to attend the National Ag in the Classroom conference this summer in Des Moines, Iowa. Evans incorporates practical activities in his classes, where his students learn about agriculture through embryology classes. Evans attended the AITC Summer Teacher Institute in 2019, where he discovered a passion for teaching students about food and fiber and the importance of agriculture.
“After attending the Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom conference, I quickly realized how much I didn’t know about agriculture,” said Evans. “Like teaching, many do not see the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in the agricultural sector.
“I am very grateful for the support of the Farm Bureau, my colleagues and my family, who provided me with ideas, time and resources to help me share and explore my passion for learning and farming with my kindergarten friends.”
The award is given annually to an exceptional teacher from kindergarten through 8th grade who designed and implemented a class or project on the food and fiber industry in the last academic year. It also celebrates the service and dedication of former SCFB Women’s Committee chairwoman Betty J. DeWitt of Darlington County.
“This is my sixth year as a kindergarten teacher at Fennell Elementary,” added Evans. “I am blessed with an incredible director, Mr. Willie Coker, the best paraprofessional, Ms. Shelia Griffin, and incredible parents who support and encourage my many innovative projects. My favorite unit is our embryology study, where we learn everything about chickens and chicks born in our classroom. You’d be surprised where five-year-olds think chickens come from.
“I have always enjoyed learning through research and hands-on projects, and I have had many wonderful teachers in Hampton District 1 who have allowed me to learn and explore in their classrooms. As my students enter my classroom every day, whether in person or virtually, I hope to be making a similar impact that will encourage them to set their high goals and work hard to achieve them!
The South Carolina Farm Bureau is a grassroots nonprofit organization that celebrates and supports family farmers, locally grown food and our rural lands through legislative advocacy, education and community outreach. The organization, founded in 1944, serves nearly 100,000 member families in 47 sections. For more information, visit www.scfb.org.