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Teacher of year goes to Adams

The Wesley Chapel High math teacher earns the county award. The Education Foundation also honors three others.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published February 16, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - Tom Adams has taught math in Pasco County for 11 years, joining the Wesley Chapel High staff when the school opened in 1999.

During his teaching career, he also has been called to active duty with the Coast Guard Reserve five times, serving in Guantanamo Bay, the Middle East and after Hurricane Katrina.

Add Pasco County teacher of the year to his resume.

The announcement, made at Adams' home school, came about 9 p.m. Thursday - too late for any excited comments he might utter after he got the news.

After being named a finalist, though, he had this to say to the sponsoring Education Foundation: "I guarantee I learned more in my first year of teaching than any of my students. I acquired a working knowledge of trial and error, reflection and survival - topics that I, somehow, missed during my formal education classes."

The foundation also recognized its administrator, school support and nonunion employees of the year. They were:

- Peggy Jones, research and evaluation supervisor, as administrator of the year. Jones recently led the district's successful reaccrediting effort with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. She now is responsible for finding new ways to improve student achievement.

Jones started working in the district in 1991, as a teacher at San Antonio Elementary. She transferred to Pasco Middle in 1996 as a sixth-grade teacher, and a year later became assistant principal at Hudson High. She earned her doctorate in measurement and evaluation from the University of South Florida in 2006.

- Mary Olson, bookkeepersecretary at Mittye P. Locke Elementary, as nonunion employee of the year. Olson has held her position for more than 40 years, working through three principals and myriad staff and students.

Her colleagues call Olson a walking, talking history of Locke Elementary and the best person to be greeting visitors.

- Helena Fletcher, media-technology assistant at Cypress Elementary, as school-related employee of the year. Fletcher has run 18 book fairs. Last fall, hers generated enough money to be ranked in the top five in Florida. She has served as the school's PTO chairwoman for four years and as its general manager for eight.

Fletcher also participates in several community activities, including Toys for Tots with the River Ridge High School ROTC and the ABC Program at Cypress. Her favorite saying, which many say should be her motto, is "Git er done, you can do it."

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or by phone at 813-909-4614 or toll free at 1-800-333-7505 ext. 4614. Check out our education blog, The Gradebook, at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.

[Last modified February 16, 2007, 07:14:00]