- October 30, 2024
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In Bunnell Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year April Adams’ 17 years as a teacher and 15 years teaching in Flagler County, she has received a “highly effective” rating on her final evaluations every year, and earned the state Department of Education’s “High Impact Teacher” designation for every year that the DOE has released the list.
"Every kid does need a champion and a positive role model in their life who they are able to connect with, and I’m honored to be that person for some children at our school."
— APRIL ADAMS
Adams emphasizes writing skills in her classroom, integrating writing into other subjects. In the last year, 70% of her 47 students made gains on their English language arts FSA score.
“One of my favorite songs has always been ‘Greatest Love of All,’ which opens with the lines, ‘I believe the children are our future; teach them well and let them lead the way,’” she wrote in her application statement for the Teacher of the Year award. “The students who enter my room do not do so just to receive an education in academics. One of my goals is to ensure that all of my students are also becoming role models and leaders for the other students.”
To that end, she’s served as a mentor for students, and helped form a student running club.
“Every kid does need a champion and a positive role model in their life who they are able to connect with, and I’m honored to be that person for some children at our school,” she wrote.
Adams has also taught an Information and Communication Technologies Multimedia Essentials class to her students for the past two years, and her students passed at a rate of 81% last year and 91% the previous year.
“These 78 students will now be able to add this certification to their resume in the future when they apply for a job,” she wrote.
She’s recently received two Flagler County Education Foundation grants: One, last year, helped teach students to use QuickTime, which they then used to interview community members to create a digital history of the county. This year, the grant has funded virtual field trips for students.
