During today’s meeting of the Florida Cabinet, Governor Rick Scott recognized four outstanding educators with the Governor’s Shine Award. The Shine Award is presented to teachers and administrators in Florida who make significant contributions to the field of education. The educators honored today were recognized for their commitment to student success and to furthering their professional skills.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to present these four educators with the Governor’s Shine Award today and recognize their outstanding efforts to educate Florida’s next generation of leaders.”
The following educators were presented with the Governor’s Shine Awards:
Sean Downing, Okeechobee County – Sean Downing is principal of Osceola Middle School in Okeechobee County. He has been a member of the Commissioner’s Leadership Academy for the past three years, and recently trained to guide other educators toward developing their own leadership skills. Under his leadership, Osceola Middle School was recognized for its improvement in mathematics scores in 2016. Downing is a member of the 2016-17 Florida Association of School Administrators Instructional Leadership Team Initiative.
Melissa Garcia, Palm Beach County – Melissa Garcia works as the 10-12 grade School Counselor at Seminole Ridge Community High School in Palm Beach County. She is the 2015-16 Palm Beach County School Counselor of the Year and the 2016-17 Florida School Counselor Association’s School Counselor of the Year.
Monica Pool, Martin County – Monica Pool is a Literacy Coach at South Fork High School in Martin County. She is the 2016-17 Florida Literacy Coaches Association’s Florida Secondary Literacy Coach of the Year.
Sandy Waite, Sarasota County – Sandy Waite is a fourth grade teacher at Southside Elementary School in Sarasota County. She is the 2016 District Elementary Literacy Teacher of the Year and the 2016 Florida Reading Association’s Florida Elementary Reading Teacher of the Year
