School-Related Employee of the Year, Abegail Rosario-Castillo

The Clay Education Foundation hosted the annual Apple Awards on Thursday, January 26, 2023 at the Thrasher-Horne Center in partnership with Clay County District Schools. Ms. Heather Miller from Lake Asbury Elementary School was named Clay County’s Teacher of the Year and Ms. Abegail Rosario-Castillo from Orange Park Elementary was named Clay County’s School-Related Employee of the Year.

Heather Miller is a fourth-grade teacher that has been teaching for 25 years. She serves as a Teacher Model Classroom for her school, Math Field Day Coach, and is a Professional Learning Community leader where she spends time modeling lessons for other teachers, creating assessments, and supporting new teachers. She also is the coordinator for Lake Asbury Elementary School’s Robotics Team and Club. When asked about the importance of school culture and the club, Ms. Miller shared, “Students deserve an advocate to facilitate new learning experiences.  My hope is to spark an interest, passion, and deep love for a future career in STEM.”

Abegail (Abby) Rosario-Castillo has been part of Orange Park Elementary since 2007 when she began as a parent volunteer where she earned over 100 hours per year. In 2016, Ms. Rosario-Castillo became the Media Technical Assistant for Orange Park Elementary School. As the Media Technical Assistant, Abby has made a personal commitment to promoting diverse authors or books with characters who are female or people of color. Ms. Rosario-Castillo strives to know the reading habits and preferences of the students and is often asked for recommendations from students, teachers, and parents.  When asked about Ms. Rosario-Castillo, Assistant Principal Dr. Suzanne Herndon shared, “She is an advocate for our students and works diligently to instill a love of reading in our children.”

Both Ms. Miller and Ms. Rosario-Castillo will move forward in the state selection process as the Florida Department of Education narrows down the county winners to the top-five nominees toward the end of the school year.

Click to watch the ceremony.

Principal Murphy was nominated by other administrators in Clay County and Superintendent Broskie presented the honor by surprising Principal Murphy on campus on Wednesday, October 26th.

Principal Murphy has worked in public education for 23 years and has been an administrator for the past eight years. She has led both Ridgeview High and Lake Asbury Junior as a principal and is known by her colleagues and staff as a passionate and driven leader that cares for all students. “My favorite part about being a principal is seeing our students grow into amazing young men and women with bright futures ahead. Our most significant role as educators is to help our students reach their full potential socially, emotionally, and academically while supporting their endeavors,” said Principal Murphy. 

“Principal Murphy is a wonderful representation of Principal of the Year for Clay County

District Schools. Ms. Murphy truly cares for all students and staff and has spent the last four years at Ridgeview High focused on building a great culture where students are not only involved in their school community on campus but involved with their surrounding community outside of schools,” said the Superintendent of Schools David Broskie.

As the award recipient, Ms. Murphy will represent Clay County District Schools in the state competition. In November, Ms. Murphy will be formally recognized at the monthly school board meeting.

Click to watch the ceremony.

Ms. Strickland was nominated by other administrators in Clay County and Superintendent Broskie presented the honor by surprising Assistant Principal Strickland on campus on Thursday, October 27th.   

Ms. Strickland has worked in public education for 12 years and has been an administrator for the past three years at Middleburg Elementary School. Her colleagues describe her as passionate, data-driven, and caring. “Making MBE the place to be for ALL students is my favorite part of my role as an assistant principal.  I greet over 300 students each morning as they leave breakfast in our cafeteria and tell them "See you tomorrow" as several hundred board their buses in the afternoon,” says Amanda Strickland.

“Amanda Strickland is an amazing assistant principal who has a bright future in leadership within Clay County District Schools. She actively participates in mentoring others, provides professional development to both leaders and teachers, and truly cares that every student on her campus has the resources needed to ensure success,” said the Superintendent of Schools David Broskie.

As the award recipient, Ms. Strickland will represent Clay County District Schools in the state competition. In November, Ms. Strickland will be formally recognized at the monthly school board meeting in November.

The Florida Council for the Social Studies (FCSS) selects Clay County’s Tiffany Calderon from Ridgeview High School as the 2022 Warren Tracy Beginning Teacher of the Year. This award, presented by FCSS recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of social studies teachers that are in their first three years of the field of education. 

Tiffany Calderon is a U.S. History teacher who began her career in October 2021 at Ridgeview High.  Ms. Calderon is known by her colleagues as an innovative and energetic teacher that brings history alive to her students every day. “History is full of adventures about the past, present, and future. It is my duty to make sure the subject is brought to life and that impactful connections are made across generations,” said Tiffany Calderon.

“As a former history teacher and believer in strong history programs to engage our students in civic mindfulness, I am excited to celebrate Tiffany Calderon in this statewide achievement. Ms. Calderon embodies the professionalism, creativity, and excitement for teaching that is needed to inspire our Clay County students to be well-rounded citizens when they graduate high school,” said Superintendent of Schools David Broskie.

As the award recipient, Ms. Calderon will receive a cash reward for professional development and attend the FCSS annual conference. In October, Ms. Calderon will travel to Orlando to receive the award at the Awards Banquet with other Florida Social Studies teachers.

On Friday, August 19th, Green Cove Springs Junior High, in partnership with the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), hosted a naturalization ceremony in the school’s cafetorium. The ceremony welcomed 47 individuals from 32 countries as new U.S. citizens. Approximately 50 student leaders assisted with the naturalization ceremony and over 100 students and faculty members witnessed the process as audience members as the new citizens took the Oath of Allegiance. The Honorable Marcia Morales Howard, United States District Judge, and first-generation American administered the Oath.  

Members from the Green Cove Springs Junior Treble Choir, under the direction of Tina Larsen, sang the National Anthem while members of Clay High School’s ROTC Color Guard presented the colors. Superintendent David Broskie shared a personal experience of his family’s immigration experience from Ireland in the early 1900s. Licet Gomez, a seventh-grade Science teacher at Green Cove Springs Junior, spoke passionately about her journey to American citizenship when she immigrated to the United States from Cuba. 

This ceremony honored and recognized our newest U.S. Citizens and provided a real-world learning experience of welcoming immigrants into the country for our junior high students. Green Cove Springs Junior has plans to hopefully make this a yearly celebration and learning experience for their students.

On Friday, August 5, 2022, Wilkinson Junior High School, A Community Partnership School celebrated its significant achievement of becoming a UCF-Certified Community Partnership School -- an honor that represents years of work focused on implementing this model and changing the trajectory of students’ lives. The school successfully satisfied 12 rigorous standards and specific indicators with fidelity, securing UCF-certification status for the next five years.

The Community Partnership Schools™ model at Wilkinson is a long-term commitment among Children’s Home Society of Florida, Baptist Health, Clay County District Schools, and St. Johns River State College, bringing together high-quality academics, health care, counseling, mentoring, and more — right on-site at the school where students and families are comfortable.

Since implementing the innovative Community Partnership Schools™ model in 2018, Wilkinson Jr. High has increased access to health and wellness services, counseling, family engagement, and after-school activities – key needs identified by parents, teachers, and community leaders in an initial assessment.

The special recognition ceremony included a ribbon cutting to celebrate the grand opening

of the Wilkinson Jr. High School-Based Health Center -- the Aza Health Clinic. The school-based health clinic will offer timely, accessible health care for students, teachers, and families in partnership with Aza Health. The Aza Health center on campus will be providing primary and preventative health care services via telehealth for the students and faculty at Wilkinson and for the community.