Bojangles' honors the Midlands best teachers | Events

Bojangles’ presented hundreds of books to local District Teachers of the Year on Wednesday. 

This donation event was one of 16 planned for this year, and is part of Bojangles’ ongoing partnership with South Carolina Future Minds, which is designed to support teachers across the state who make a positive impact on their students and the future of South Carolina through their commitment to education. 

Teachers honored at the event included:

• Kershaw County School District Teacher of the Year Helen Walker is a top five finalist for the coveted title of South Carolina Teacher of the Year.  Walker has been a teacher for 18 years and currently teaches music at Doby’s Mill Elementary School in Lugoff.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in England and has earned a Master’s Degree in Instructional Accommodations from Francis Marion University as well as her National Board Certification in elementary general music.
• Richland School District One Teacher of the Year Patricia Swinton is another top five finalist for state Teacher of the Year.  She teaches human anatomy and physiology to 11th and 12th graders at A.C. Flora High School, where she has been teaching for 18 years.  She holds a bachelors, masters and specialist degree in science and is a National Board Certified teacher.  In addition to her commitment to students in the classroom, Swinton sponsors the Science, Engineering, Communication and Mathematics Enhancement Club and co-sponsors the Future Health Care Providers Club. 
• Barnwell School District 19 Teacher of the Year Doris Sanders is employed at Macedonia Elementary School in Blackville as a sixth-grade language arts teacher.  She believes the best part of her job is working with parents and students to ensure each student’s success.
• Fairfield County School District Teacher of the Year Ella Mack has been teaching for 13 years and currently teaches first grade at Fairfield Magnet School, where she is sure to let her students know that they are all super starts.  The best part of her job is seeing her students encourage one another. 
• Lexington School District Five Teacher of the Year Liz Knott teaches reading intervention to kindergarten through third graders at Lake Murray Elementary School.  She strives to help learners overcome their struggles while discovering success and confidence in themselves.  Knott says that nothing beats the feeling she gets when she knows she has helped to positively change the trajectory of a student’s path in life – when she sees a proud smile, hears a confident voice, gets a grateful hug.  
• Richland School District Two Teacher of the Year Wendy Sherman works at Blythewood Middle School with sixth through eighth graders who have contained moderate intellectual disabilities.  She has been teaching and working with special needs students since her undergraduate years at Presbyterian College.  She has high expectations for her students and celebrates their every accomplishment as they strive to do their personal best.  She feels very lucky to be able to spend more than one year with each of her students to watch them overcome their weaknesses by focusing on their strengths. 
• South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice Teacher of the Year Robert Hill teaches social studies to ninth graders at the Detention Center School in Columbia.    Dr. Hill has been teaching for 18 years and tries to inspire each student to become responsible for their own educations growth and be more cognizant of the independent ways in which they learn. 

“Bojangles’ is proud to continue its support of education in the Palmetto State,” said Bojangles’ President and CEO Randy Kibler.  “Partnering with South Carolina Future Minds and the Teacher of the Year program for the third consecutive year gives us the opportunity to thank South Carolina’s outstanding teachers for their dedication to the nearly 700,000 students currently enrolled in the public education system.”

This year Bojangles’ will be donating nearly 3,000 books in honor of District Teachers of the Year, and since 2010 the company has donated more than 9,000 books to public schools across the state.  In addition, Bojangles’ treated these great teachers as well as their colleagues, friends, family and students to Bojangles’ delicious chicken, made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits, one-of-a-kind fixin’s, Legendary Iced Tea™ and delectable sweet treats like Bo-Berry Biscuits®. 

“I love to see my students keep music in their lives far beyond the elementary classroom and know that I gave them the musical opportunities that can last a lifetime,” said S.C. Teacher of the Year Finalist Walker.  “My students inspire and amaze me constantly.  They teach me to exceed my own expectations by showing their desire to learn more about all aspects of music and how it connects to their lives and across the curriculum.”

State Teacher of the Year Finalist Swinton added, “The best part of my job is greeting my students each time we have class, engaging them in the learning process and receiving their smiles when they have mastered the content.”