Hancock County Schools names teacher, service personnel of the year
TEACHER NOMINEES — The nominees for Hancock County Teacher of the Year included Natalie Hall, Megan Dunlevy, Donna Carnes, Kerissa Harr, Jennifer Cooper, Teacher of the Year Andrew Bellevage, Wendy Zinn and Elizabeth Walsh. -- Craig Howell
SERVICE PERSONNEL NOMINEES — Among those nominated for Hancock County Service Personnel of the Year were, from left, Theresa Barnhart; Trudy McAvoy, who was named Service Personnel of the Year; Kristin Bowman-Cross; Dorotha Dawson; Tammy Null and Jamie Jenkins. Also nominated were Daniel Roberts, Christina Smith and Lorie Bryan. -- Craig Howell
TEACHER NOMINEES — The nominees for Hancock County Teacher of the Year included Natalie Hall, Megan Dunlevy, Donna Carnes, Kerissa Harr, Jennifer Cooper, Teacher of the Year Andrew Bellevage, Wendy Zinn and Elizabeth Walsh. -- Craig Howell
SERVICE PERSONNEL NOMINEES — Among those nominated for Hancock County Service Personnel of the Year were, from left, Theresa Barnhart; Trudy McAvoy, who was named Service Personnel of the Year; Kristin Bowman-Cross; Dorotha Dawson; Tammy Null and Jamie Jenkins. Also nominated were Daniel Roberts, Christina Smith and Lorie Bryan. -- Craig Howell
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NEW CUMBERLAND -- The Hancock County Board of Education recognized its top teachers and service personnel Monday.
Announced as the county's Teacher of the Year was Andrew Bellevage, an English teacher at Weir High School, while Trudy McAvoy, an aide and autism mentor at New Manchester Elementary, was named Service Personnel of the Year.
Each was selected from a field of nominees from each of the county's eight schools and the transportation department.
"You are looking at years and years of dedication and hard work," said Superintendent Dawn Petrovich of the nominees.
Petrovich noted each finalist was selected through a vote at their respective school or department, explaining that while she did not have any part in the vote, she did read through all of their nomination forms.
In addition to Bellevage, this year's Teacher of the Year nominees included Natalie Hall from Allison Elementary; Megan Dunlevy from New Manchester Elementary; Donna Carnes from Weirton Elementary; Kerissa Harr from Weir Middle; Jennifer Cooper from Oak Glen Middle; Wendy Zinn from Oak Glen High; and Elizabeth Walsh from the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center.
Bellevage has been an educator for nine years, with five in Hancock County and four years in Ohio County. He said his early years taught him patience, and he has adopted a philosophy to show "kindness and compassion first," in his teaching, saying everything else will follow.
"They're all good people at heart," he said of his students.
Other Service Personnel nominees were Theresa Barnhart of Allison Elementary; Kristin Bowman-Cross of Weirton Elementary; Daniel Roberts of Weir Middle; Dorotha Dawson of Oak Glen Middle; Christina Smith of Weir High; Lorie Bryan of Oak Glen High; Tammy Null of the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center; and Jamie Jenkins of the Transportation Department.
McAvoy offered her appreciation to the teachers and principal at New Manchester Elementary.
"I love our school," she said.
The two top recipients now will be in the running for the West Virginia Teacher and Service Personnel awards, which will be announced in September.
"They will have some other applications to do to send down to the state," Petrovich explained.
In other business, Monday, the school board tabled discussions on several aspects of the ongoing field projects at Weir High School, as well as a potential improvement project at Oak Glen's Field of Dreams complex, with Petrovich noting some information on the projects had only been received about 90 minutes before the start of Monday's meeting.
The school board will instead schedule a workshop to allow discussion on the projects.