Linda Evanchyk Named to Teachers Hall of Fame
Thursday, April 22, 2010
 Dr. Alexis Tibbetts, Superintendent of Schools, congratulates a surprised Linda Evanchyk, Okaloosa's first hometown National Hall of Fame teacher. |
 Choctawhatchee HS principal Cindy Gates laughs as Evanchyk catches sight of family members in the audience. Her father, a brother and some of her sisters all came for the surprise announcement. One sister drove in from Columbus, Georgia. |
 Student Asha Kennedy thanked Evanchyk for opening doors for her and the other students. Kennedy interviewed First Lady Michelle Obama last fall. |
 Carol Strickland, Board member of the National Teachers Hall of Fame (left) and Nancy Berry, a member of the Hall of Fame who now teaches at Liza Jackson Preparatory School, congratulate Evanchyk. |
 A representative from Herff-Jones fits Evanchyk for a special ring, which will be presented to her at the induction ceremony in June. |
 Gates noted that it was not a simple task to keep the energetic journalism teacher from finding out about the ceremony. |
 One of Evanchyk's students reads aloud the article from the Northwest Florida Daily News about the Hall of Fame during class Thursday morning. |
 Evanchyk's sophomore language arts class is currently reading Julius Caesar. "She makes Julius Caesar fun," says Amber Chrobon. |
Choctawhatchee High School journalism and language arts teacher Linda Evanchyk thought she was being called to take photos of an ROTC ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Instead, she found family, friends and students had filled the auditorium for a surprise announcement that she had been selected for the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
"When I got about halfway down, everybody turned and looked at me, and I realized I knew everyone in the audience," she said later.
Evanchyk says she finally caught on to what was happening when she saw Nancy Berry, a Hall of Fame teacher who currently works at Liza Jackson Preparatory School. "Oh, my gosh!" she repeated over and over, as she made her way to the front of the auditorium.
National Teachers Hall of Fame Board member Carol Strickland congratulated Evanchyk, noting that only five teachers nationwide are selected for the honor each year. "She represents what teachers do," said Strickland. "They make a difference."
The National Teachers Hall of Fame is located in Emporia, Kansas. To date, only 90 teachers nationwide have been selected for the honor. Each Hall of Fame teacher receives a special ring from Herff-Jones and a check for $1000 for classroom supplies from Pearson, a leading textbook publisher.
Choctaw principal Cindy Gates thanked Evanchyk's family and friends for coming to honor her. "There are people that you have on staff who are 'go to' people, in grief or in celebration, to start a new program or to stay late," she told the audience. "When I first became principal, Mr. Bounds [Choctaw's former principal] said one thing: Linda Evanchyk would be my 'go to' person."
Evanchyk, a 1974 graduate of Choctaw, earned her Master's degree in Communications from the University of West Florida. She sponsors the school's award-winning Smoke Signals newspaper, and was selected as the 2009 Florida Journalism Teacher of the Year. Evanchyk is National Board certified in English Language Arts, and has mentored numerous Okaloosa County school teachers to help them achieve the certification.
"She does a lot for every school," stated Dr. Alexis Tibbetts, Superintendent of Schools. "This community appreciates her. The quality teachers in this district make this district what it is. As a nation, we depend on teachers who have done what Linda has done."
According to Berry, when Evanchyk is inducted into the Teachers Hall of Fame in June, there will be so many celebrations, "It's like Cinderella." Berry was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, while working in another state.
"I am absolutely thrilled," said Evanchyk. "There's no better school than Choctaw. It really is the Magic Kingdom."
Journalism student Asha Kennedy, who interviewed First Lady Michelle Obama last fall, told the audience that Evanchyk was an "awesome" teacher who helps her students have opportunities that they would never otherwise have.
Her enthusiasm was echoed by sophomore Olivia Tisza after the ceremony. "She really helps us better ourselves and our writing. She makes sure we take responsibility for it and she has a lot of respect for us," said Tisza. "She's a great teacher, flat out. She pushes you. She furthers you to do your best... I look forward to her class every day."
Sophomore Zeno Best is one of Evanchyk's language arts students. "She makes our activities more fun," he says. "She teaches well - she's cool."
"She'll put real life into it," adds Amber Chrobon. "She helps us learn the language of Shakespeare. She makes Julius Caesar fun."
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