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On Tuesday, Oct. 14, the Lee University chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society for educators, recognized local teachers for their demonstration of excellence in the classroom. The ceremony was held on campus in the Helen DeVos College of Education.

Each year, the education honor society recognizes educators who have made significant contributions to their students and the community. The honorees this year include: Christie DeHart, Susan Hoops-Whitlock, Johnny McDaniel, Martin Ringstaff, Randall Stephens, Amber Winters, and Adam Moss.

DeHart, an English/Language Arts teacher at Lake Forest Middle School, has been in the education profession for six years. Before coming to Lake Forest, she served as secretary to the director of teacher education and certification specialist at Lee. She is a member and past secretary of the Tennessee Association of Middle Schools and a member of the Association of Middle Level Education. A recipient of the Cliff Schimmels Superior Performance Award, DeHart is the Common Core Learning Leader for 2014. DeHart is also the president of Kappa Delta Pi for the 2014-15 year.

Hoops-Whitlock, a kindergarten teacher at Yates Primary School, is a recipient of the Cleveland City Teacher of the Year award. During her 23 years in the education profession, she has also been a 5th-6th grade multiage teacher and a 1st-2nd grade multiage teacher. Hoops-Whitlock, the current United Way Chairperson at Yates, is also a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization of women educators dedicated to educational excellence, altruism and world understanding.

McDaniel serves as the current director of schools for Bradley County. Prior to this position, he has worked as a youth pastor, a pastor, a high school teacher, a school counselor, an assistant principal, a principal, the director of guidance services, and the director/superintendent of schools. Throughout his 33 years in the education profession, he has received the Tennessee Coordinated School Health Superintendent Leadership Award, the Tennessee Superintendent of the Year 2013 award, and awards from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association and the American School Health Association. He is a member of several professional organizations and has been an adjunct instructor at Lee.

Ringstaff, the current director of schools in Cleveland City Schools, also serves as an adjunct instructor at Lee University. Previously, he worked as the Director of Personnel and Support Services for Bristol public schools in Virginia, after being principal of two different high schools in the area. He is a member of the American Association of School Administrators, the Educational Law Association, and Phi Delta Kappa International, a professional association for educators. A recipient of the Southeast Tennessee Superintendent of the Year award, Ringstaff is also a member of the Tennessee Teacher Leader Council. He serves on the board for the Rotary Club, the Boys and Girls Club, and United Way.

Stephens, the principal at George R. Stuart Elementary, previously taught at Cleveland High School and served as assistant principal at Cleveland Middle School during his 17 years in the education profession. He is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Stephens is a Sunday school teacher, church trustee, and a member of the finance/administration committee at Peerless Road church.

Winters, the instructional coach at Black Fox Elementary School, has been in the education profession for 14 years. Previously, she worked as a 5th grade teacher at Michigan Avenue Elementary School. Winters is a member of the Bradley Cleveland Public Education Foundation and has received numerous Teacher of the Year awards and a nomination for Walt Disney’s Creativity in Teaching Award. She was selected to serve on the State of Tennessee’s Writing Assessment Committee. Winters is the head sponsor of the Jr. Beta Club at Black Fox and a member of the Director of Schools Advisory Board.

Moss, who has been in the education profession for seven years, is currently the 5th grade mathematics teacher at Arnold Memorial Elementary School. He recently completed his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Lee University and is an inaugural member of the State Collaborative On Reforming Education TN Educator Fellowship. For the past three summers he has worked with the TN State Department of Education as a Common Core Coach, assisting teachers with the transition into current standards.

During the ceremony, new students were inducted into the honor society. These students include: Kathleen Austin, Katelyn Black, Emily Boccarossa, Hannah Brown, Paige Clark, Emily Collins, Cara Collins, Ariana Dorr, Emily Halbert, Hannah Hazard, Beatrice Joyner, Lauren Koontz, Danae Pick, Ellen Porter, Anne Schwirtz, Ashley Sederquist, Samantha Shepherd, Rachel Waltz, Amy Wells, Mary White, and Carly Wingfield.

Kappa Delta Pi seeks to encourage high professional, intellectual, and personal standards and to recognize outstanding contributions in education. Founded in 1911, the society became an International Honor Society in Education in 1981.

For more information on the honorees or Kappa Delta Pi, please call the Helen DeVos College of Education at 423-614-8175.

Pictured here (left to right) are the honorees for the evening Ringstaff, Moss, Winters, Stephens, McDaniel, DeHart, and Hoops-Whitlock.