April Branscome is the Okaloosa County Teacher of the Year
Thursday, February 28, 2008
 Niceville High School CHOICE IT teacher April Branscome tearfully accepts congratulations from Superintendent Alexis Tibbetts after being named Okaloosa County Teacher of the Year. |
 The top three finalists were all excellent candidates. From left to right: Dr. Alexis Tibbetts, School Board member Cindy Frakes, April Branscome, Teachers' Union pres- ident Sheila Olsen, Christa Whittaker, Amy Bowden. |
 The celebration was the biggest ever, with about 600 guests who gathered in the Conference Center for the dinner and award ceremony. |
 Dr. Alexis Tibbetts embraces finalist Christa Whittaker of Fort Walton Beach High School. |
 As the celebration winds down, family and supporters of finalist Amy Bowden of Bluewater Elementary School celebrate her selection as one of the top three in the county. |
 Branscome's family, colleagues and mentors gather to congratulate her. |
 School Board member Cathy Thigpen (center) served on the selection committee. "It was a difficult decision. How do you pick the 'best of the best? She'll represent us well at the next level," said Thigpen. |
 A crowd of her colleagues and well-wishers congratulate finalist Christa Whittaker, drama coach extraordinaire at Fort Walton Beach High School. |
Suspense was high as selection committee chairman Carmen Marshall-Claude announced the winner of the Okaloosa Teacher of the Year award–April Branscome of Niceville High School.
Branscome teaches Web Design at the CHOICE IT Institute, where she prepares her students for the CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster) certification. Her pass rate of 100% is the highest in the country –an amazing result for an exam that is usually taken by college students and adults.
"It's just a shock," said Branscome. "Everybody works hard in this county-just being up there is an honor!"
Branscome graduated from Niceville High School and was hired as a secretary in the front office. "I never saw anybody type, answer the phone and read all at the same time like she did," said Dr. Linda Smith, the principal of NHS, joking that Branscome was the initiator of multi-tasking.
Branscome credits Smith and her husband, Dr. Bill Smith, for inspiring her to become a teacher. They were her music and PE teachers, respectively, back when she was in 5th grade and they were first-year teachers at Edge. "The most fun we had was having hayrides and hot chocolate. I remember how much fun that was and I wanted to make that kind of impact," said Branscome.
The road to becoming a teacher was not an easy one. Branscome took evening classes while working full-time, coaching the majorettes and taking care of her son, who she would carry to practice as a toddler. She earned her degree and was hired at Niceville as a math teacher her first year. "Rodney Nobles helped tutor me," she said with a grin.
A year later, she was hired into the Business Education department by June Harral, her short-hand teacher who became the head of the department. "I knew she was good - I wanted her in the department," recalled Harral.
Patti Bonezzi, who heads the District's CHOICE IT program, is another fan. She has worked closely with Branscome over the past four years. "April has earned state and national recognition and now she is recognized in the county," said Bonezzi. "This is the one that means the most to her. These are her peers."
"I'm just especially proud of her," added Dr. Alexis Tibbetts, Superintendent of Schools. "She worked so hard to put herself through school and her students are doing amazing things. She got into web design as a pioneer."
Related Files :
Related Articles :
Who are the best teachers in the best county in Florida? Superintendent Alexis Tibbetts and Deputy Superintendent Kaye McKinley surprise the top three with flowers...
