Lexington County School District One proudly named Oak Grove Elementary’s Cheryl Bartolotti its District Teacher of the Year at the annual Teacher of the Year Celebration, honoring outstanding teachers who exemplify a commitment and dedication to educating students. Bartolotti, a first grade teacher at OGES, now goes on to compete in next year’s state-level Teacher of the Year program.

The district’s Teacher of the Year celebration was held on Tuesday, March 27, 2024, at 6:30 P.M. at the Performing Arts Center at White Knoll High School.

Cheryl Bartolotti’s mentality is always, “If there’s a will, there's a way.” She believes all students can succeed when teachers are willing to go the extra mile to reach each one. With a contagious passion for learning, Ms. Bartolotti loves to watch her first grade students’ growth, by sharing ideas, offering words of encouragement and providing advice when needed.

An experienced educator, Bartolotti received a Bachelor of Arts in commercial recreation administration (2002) and in early childhood education (2006) from Kean University in New Jersey.

The Teacher of the Year process features two rounds of judging. First, all 31 school-level Teachers of the Year submit a written application responding to specific questions. This round uses four teams of judges to methodically and carefully review and score applications. Then, another team of judges observes each school-level Teacher of the Year in their classrooms. There is one rubric for scoring the applications and another rubric for scoring the observation. The teacher with the highest overall total becomes District Teacher of the Year.

Prior to announcing the district winner at the celebration, the district named the top 10 finalists: Carolina Springs Middle’s Sonora Williams; Centerville Elementary’s Pam Glover; Lake Murray Elementary’s Ashley Kendall; Lakeside Middle’s Erin Smith; Lexington Technology Center’s Melissa Boehler; Meadow Glen Middle’s Jenny Farmer, Oak Grove Elementary’s Cheryl Bartolotti; Pleasant Hill Elementary’s Catherine Hood; Pelion Elementary’s Evan Thompson; and Rocky Creek Elementary’s Brittany Talwin.

In addition, this year’s school-level honorees included Beechwood Middle’s Angela Kruger, Carolina Springs Elementary’s Alison Young, Deerfield Elementary’s Nicole Barker, Forts Pond Elementary’s Bethany Bastedo, Gilbert Elementary’s Morgan Humphries, Gilbert High’s Mihaela Gutu, Gilbert Middle’s Jessica Handy, Lexington Elementary’s Alysa Smith, Lexington High’s Ashley J. Miller, Meadow Glen Elementary’s Michael Frank, Midway Elementary’s Kelly Parker, New Providence Elementary’s Jessica Allen, Pelion High’s Jesse Zeaser, Pelion Middle’s Angela Arthur, Pleasant Hill Middle’s Mallory Huffstetler, Red Bank Elementary’s Yenobis Amundaray De Galan, River Bluff High’s Benjamin Lee, Saxe Gotha Elementary’s Jane Eliza Chisholm, White Knoll Elementary’s Caroline Wallace, White Knoll High’s Dr. Craig Wheatley and White Knoll Middle’s Dr. Christen Thomas-Legette.