Teachers

Former Matoaca High teacher gets six months for contributing to the delinquency of a minor

By Caleb M Soptelean on February 26, 2019 Courts, For the Record, Schools, Teachers

Longtime Matoaca High teacher Craig D. Nixon was sentenced last week to 24 months in jail with all but six months suspended for two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The sentence came down after a plea agreement resulted in two felonies being downgraded. Nixon, 51, taught at the Chesterfield County school for 18 years and had no prior criminal record. He was originally charged with indecent liberties with a 16-year-old girl who was a student at the school. As part of his sentence, Nixon – a Midlothian resident – was required to complete a psychosexual…

Fowler enjoys teaching math at Matoaca High School

By Danielle Ozbat on February 12, 2019 Schools, Teachers

The people in Nichole Fowler’s life knew she would be a teacher even though she resisted. Fowler said she likes to tell people what to do and show them how to do things correctly, so they thought she would be a great teacher. She had different plans, however. Fowler originally wanted to be a lawyer. She received her undergraduate degree in math from Virginia State University and a master’s degree in secondary education from Grand Canyon University. “I feel that God knew what I was supposed to do, but I was fighting back [because] everyone thought that I was going…

‘Crowder bench’ dedicated at Ecoff Elementary School

By Press release on January 29, 2019 Community, Schools, Teachers

Harold Crowder sits on a bench dedicated to the memory of his wife, Mary. Also pictured are former teachers. From the day the doors of Ecoff Elementary School opened in 1990 until her retirement in 2011, Mary D. Crowder was a beloved primary teacher at the school. When she died in August, a group of her former colleagues decided to place a lasting memorial to her at the school she loved. A bench with a sunflower design was recently purchased and placed in the school garden outside of the library. Crowder’s family and her coworkers held a ceremony when the…

New principal on board at Ecoff Elementary School

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 22, 2019 Schools, Teachers

Kristin Tait talks to first-grader Stephen Schultz on his first day of school in Stacey Blaha’s class. Tevin Nguyen is in the background. Like many of her co-workers, Kristin Tait knew she wanted to be a teacher while growing up. A love for leadership came later, she said. Tait began working as the new principal at Ecoff Elementary School Jan. 7, replacing Joshua Cole, who was principal at the school 9 1/2 years and accepted a job as director of strategic engagement at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education. Tait, a northern Virginia native and graduate of Potomac High School,…

Kane teaches first grade, STEAM Club at Salem Church Elementary

By Danielle Ozbat on January 15, 2019 Schools, Teachers

Kimberly Kane When she was announced as Salem Church Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year, Kimberly Kane said she was surprised. She couldn’t believe that someone had taken the time to write something about her. “When you’re a teacher and you have two million things to do, that is a big deal,” Kane said. “I have no time to write a nomination ballot for anybody, and somebody took that time and wrote it about me, and that was enough.” She initially wanted to be a doctor and majored in biology. After staying an extra semester to have enough credits for…

Stith enjoys challenge of teaching in low-income area

By Danielle Ozbat on December 24, 2018 Schools, Teachers

Every morning as students get off the bus at Falling Creek Middle School, Cecelia Stith greets them with a hug because she said that, for some, that will be the only hug they get all day. “It’s just rewarding … to be able to give them a hug and give them the love and support and confidence by praising them and … helping them to see that what they’re capable of doing,” she said. Stith is a seventh-grade English teacher. She chose to work at schools in high-poverty areas because those students have a greater need, she said, noting that…

Ewalt earns statewide award

By Press release on December 18, 2018 Community, Schools, Teachers, Uncategorized

Chester resident Kate Ewalt recently received a Virginia Association of Science Teachers Recognition in Science Education (RISE) award. The award recognizes excellence in science education at the middle school level. Ewalt is a seventh-grade life science teacher at Colonial Heights Middle School.

Waller enjoys teaching math and basketball at L.C. Bird

By Danielle Ozbat on December 11, 2018 Features, Teachers

Chevette Waller’s classroom and home are a revolving door of alumni. The special education teacher and girls basketball coach has been at L.C. Bird High School for 17 years. She said her former students sometimes spend the holidays with her and play pickup games with the basketball team. Waller is a collaborative teacher in the math department. She focuses on algebra and also teaches self contained coping skills classes. Being a teacher wasn’t her original plan. After graduation from Virginia Commonwealth University, she found her way back to Bird and was a special education substitute teacher. She realized she enjoyed…

36 CCPS teachers receive Gold Star financial recognition

By Press release on December 4, 2018 Schools, Teachers

CHESTERFIELD – Thirty-six Chesterfield County teachers were recently named recipients of W!SE’s 2017-18 Gold Star Teacher award. To be considered for this national recognition, a teacher must have achieved a 93-percent pass rate in at least one class on either the Fall 2017 or Spring 2018 W!SE Financial Literacy Certification test. Chesterfield County Public Schools’ 36 recognized teachers represented nearly 6.5 percent of the 557 teachers recognized nationally for their work last school year. The Gold Star teachers from the Village News’ coverage area are: L.C. Bird High School: Brent Deaner; Thomas Dale High School: Logan Mason and Patrick Sweet;…

It’s an art: Kuper a super teacher, peers say

By Danielle Ozbat on December 4, 2018 Community, Features, Schools, Teachers

ABOVE: Amber Kuper holds a student’s art project, a hamburger made of clay. Amber Kuper believes art is a skill akin to learning to ride a bike or typing and that there is always something to show when finished with a project. In her art class at Salem Church Middle School, Kuper’s students explore this concept. “One of the things that I’m really proud of is: I try to give them some baby steps … I call it my three steps of drawing, so I try to break down this … complex idea of drawing into something more simple.” At the…

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