Floor Statements

Mr. President, I recognize Shawn Andrews, the Union County Teacher of the Year from Union County High School in Lake Butler, FL.

Shawn engages with his students through lesson plans that teaches them how to have fun while solving various types of math problems. He strives for each school day to be meaningful for his students as they set out to achieve academic success. Shawn seeks to develop a learning culture that makes his students dedicated to excelling, not only in his class, but in others they are taking during the school year. He knows some days may be more challenging than others for his students, and he often works longer hours to help them.

Shawn is a mathematics teacher at Union County High School. His wife Cindy is also a teacher in the county.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Shawn for his commitment to his students. I look forward to hearing about his continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Nicolette Barone, the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year from Oak Park Elementary School in Tampa, FL.

Nicolette works with her students to build their self-confidence, telling them anything is possible and by turning their extrinsic motivation into intrinsic determination. Oftentimes, she interviews her students about their favorite school memories or helps them with math assignments.

Nicolette credits her success as a teacher to those who taught her in school, her mentors, supervisors in the school district, and her parents. She believes this award represents not only her achievements but those of every student she taught.

Nicolette has been a fourth and fifth grade math teacher at Oak Park Elementary School for 7 years. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Nicolette for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Don Clerveaux, the Miami-Dade County Teacher of the Year from Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School in Miami, FL.

Don spends each school day providing inspiration and dedication to his students. He helps them to conquer academic and personal challenges in an effort for them to have a successful future. Don seeks to strengthen his students' core values in their community schools and back home. He views those values as a ``cord of three'' challenging to break. He also helped his fellow teachers become certified to take their students to the Everglades to learn about this important ecological region of our State.

Don is Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School's fifth grade Science and Social Studies teacher. He also coaches football, track and field, and strength conditioning at Hialeah Gardens High School.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Don for his commitment to his students. I look forward to hearing about his continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Karen Cody, the Santa Rosa County Teacher of the Year from Navarre High School in Navarre,

Mr. President, I recognize Timothy Ferguson, the Sarasota County Teacher of the Year from Garden Elementary School in Venice, FL.

When Timothy moved to Florida, he was out of his comfort zone. He needed to develop a new lesson plan for students younger than he was accustomed to teaching. Since then, he has decided to lead by example to his students. When he sings during class, he tells his students that, while he was never instructed on how to sing, it shows them his willingness to try his best and to learn from his mistakes. This is what they should be doing in his and other classes in school.

Timothy wants his students to grow as musicians and is dedicated to his craft. He sees every student at the school, more than 500, once a week. This gives him the opportunity to be a positive role model in their lives.

Timothy has taught for more than 20 years. Beginning his career in New York as an instrumental music teacher and band director, Timothy moved to Florida where he now teaches music classes at Garden Elementary School for kindergarten through fifth grade students.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Timothy for his commitment to his students. I look forward to hearing about his continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Jennie Goffe, the Hendry County Teacher of the Year from Clewiston High School in Clewiston, FL.

Jennie is a champion for career and technical education programs because they prepare her students with industry skills and gives them workforce experience. Her students can earn an average of 150 workforce certificates through the program annually.

Jennie's agricultural program allows her students to manage a 480- acre farm and care for more than 60 animals. The program allows students to harvest crops, maintain a greenhouse, grow sugarcane, and care for pastures. These skills translate to real-world farming experience.

Jennie has been an agricultural teacher at Clewiston High School for

the past 10 years. Last year, after Hurricane Ian impacted Florida, Jennie started an effort between her school's students and community members to help clean up hard hit areas throughout Fort Myers Beach. She earned her master's and bachelor's degrees in agricultural education and communications from the University of Florida.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Jennie for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Shelly Hinojosa, the Walton County Teacher of the Year from South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

Shelly's ability to help her students become civically engaged is a testament to her work as a teacher. She focuses on teaching civic responsibility and critical thinking skills to ensure they are prepared to further their education.

Shelly works with seniors on college scholarship programs to ensure they qualify and helps them fill out the application paperwork. She organizes career fairs, as well as hosts business and college visits to talk with students so they can learn about options after they graduate.

Shelly is the media specialist at South Walton High School. She develops the school's yearbook and teaches journalism to students. Shelly also won the Liz Moya Life Skills and Citizenship Award.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Shelly for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Sarah Idsardi, the Hardee County Teacher of the Year from North Wauchula Elementary School in Wauchula, FL.

Sarah integrates creative learning activities designed to engage her students and hosts virtual interactive cultural experiences joined by students from across the world. This innovative approach helps students interact with others outside their classroom. Her favorite part of teaching is reading to her students and sharing stories with them.

Sarah considers herself to be a servant at heart. Not only does she teach, she is also a licensed foster parent and organizes tutoring services for children in vulnerable neighborhoods.

Sarah is a fourth grade teacher at North Wauchula Elementary School. She volunteers for North Wauchula's afterschool activity programs, plans accelerated reader parties, manages the Cool Cat TV morning show, and coaches the Battle of the Books Team. She graduated from the University of Florida with bachelor's and master's degrees in elementary education.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Sarah for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Kayla Jackson, the Highlands County Teacher of the Year from Memorial Elementary School in Avon Park, FL.

Kayla is a mentor to new teachers. She works with them on connecting with students to ensure their success. Kayla has developed into the ``go to'' person for teaching at her school.

Kayla supports her school's Student of the Month program and leads professional learning events for her colleagues outside of the classroom. She also serves on the school's curriculum leadership team and develops lesson plans to best accommodate students.

Kayla is a fifth grade math and science teacher who has taught at Memorial Elementary School since its opening in 2008. For many consecutive years, she has been recognized as a high impact teacher, and her students have achieved significant gains on state assessments. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Kayla for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Neda Jackson, the Monroe County Teacher of the Year from Key West High School in Key West, FL.

Math was the first subject Neda wanted to teach as she excelled in the subject as a student. She uses her understanding of mathematical concepts to teach her students various ways to learn and develop real- life situational applications. Neda puts her most significant emphasis on students who are at risk of not graduating. Often, she will devote her time and talents to focus on these students, working personally with them to help them succeed. Her peers credit Neda's high expectations of herself for receiving this award and her students' achievements.

For the past 21 years, Neda has taught at Key West High School, where she is the lead math teacher. Her classes range from algebra II honors to liberal arts math. She has served as a math coach, as a club sponsor, social media contact, and activities codirector.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Neda for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Angela McFarland, the Escambia County Teacher of the Year at the Escambia Virtual Academy and West Florida High School in Pensacola, FL.

Angela designs interactive lesson plans to prepare her students for business careers. She assists students with their projects, which consist of using PowerPoint and other software programs, to ensure they grasp the lesson material. Often, her students are among the school district's most prolific earners of industry certifications in the business field.

Angela's colleagues view her as a valuable asset, not only to their students, but also as a mentor to new business class instructors at the school. She coaches these teachers and presents them at various career and technical education teacher training sessions to ensure they are prepared to guide students to success.

Angela teaches business and multimedia classes at West Florida High School and has worked in the Escambia County School District since 1996. She previously taught at Pine Forest High School and Booker T. Washington High School. Since 2009, Angela also has taught at Escambia Virtual Academy.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Angela for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Steven McGinley, the Lee County Teacher of the Year from Harns Marsh Middle School in Lehigh Acres, FL.

Steven believes students deserve great teachers and considers it his duty to provide his students with the same quality of education he received in Lee County. He attended the county's Allen Park Elementary School, Fort Myers Middle School, and Fort Myers High School and credits his teachers for his successful career.

Steven's ties to the county's schools drive his ambition to mentor and help raise quality educators. He holds that his school's success is only possible through its teachers, students, and the community's involvement. Steven also considers himself a lifelong learner and one where he learns from his students.

Steven is a peer collaborative teacher at Harns Marsh Middle School, teaching in the school district of Lee County for 8 years. He spends half of the school day teaching civics and the other half coaching and mentoring other teachers at his school.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Steven for his commitment to his students. I look forward to hearing about his continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Natalie McSwain, the Polk County

Teacher of the Year from Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, FL.

Natalie adopted a family management style for teaching by ensuring every student she encounters feels appreciated. She devotes herself to helping students understand her lesson plans and often stays late to ensure they are learning. Natalie is willing to fill any need for her students. Her colleagues see her dedication and emulate her techniques to mimic in their classes.

For the past 8 years, Natalie has taught Spanish classes at Lake Gibson High School. She translates information for students with Spanish-speaking parents to keep them informed of their progress in her class. Natalie also volunteers to sponsor her school's girls' lacrosse team, the Spanish Club, and the Foreign Language Club. She serves as a new teacher mentor for educators who have yet to teach in a classroom previously.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Natalie for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Bonnie Powell, the Charlotte County Teacher of the Year from Lemon Bay High School in Englewood, FL.

Bonnie believes she holds the best job on her school's campus. Working with students gives her the honor of coaching them in reading, writing, and speaking. She knows these lifelong skills will apply to any subject they work on later throughout their lives.

In Bonnie's classes, she develops lesson plans that allow her students to explore perspectives, conduct research, and develop solutions to investigations they choose to study. Throughout the school year, she ensures they read, write, and discuss literature together in an atmosphere that offers the ability to learn from one another and be successful.

Bonnie is a graduate of Loyola University of New Orleans. She teaches Advanced Placement literature, freshman Advanced International Certificate of Education--AICE--English General Paper, and an Advanced Placement Seminar course at Lemon Bay High School, where she has taught since 1997. She also is the Creative Writing Club sponsor, an assistant for the Shout Out at the Bay poetry slam, and tutors students after school.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Bonnie for her commitment to her students. I look forward to hearing about her continued good work in the years to come.

Mr. President, I recognize Royal Preston, the Okaloosa County Teacher of the Year from Okaloosa Technical College in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Royal believes this award celebrates more than just his work but all of the teachers at his school who spend their days going above and beyond to educate their students. He often joins colleagues in arriving early and staying late to tutor students, sponsor their clubs, and coach sports teams.

Throughout his career, Royal has led his colleagues, both locally and around the State, in training students to enter the building trades industry. Together, they ensure that when students leave their classes, they are prepared for real world work experience and success as they pursue their own American dreams.

Royal has taught career and technical education classes at Okaloosa Technical College for 30 years. He is a product of the Okaloosa County school system, graduating from Bay Area Vo-Tech School, the previous name of Okaloosa Technical College.

I extend my deepest gratitude and best wishes to Royal for his commitment to his students. I look forward to hearing about his continued good work in the years to come.