Caraballo is Vidalia City Schools Teacher of The Year!

The
Vidalia City School System is proud to announce that their Teacher of the Year
is Julie Caraballo. Caraballo, an 18-year veteran teacher, has been with the
Vidalia City School System for 17-years and currently is a 7th-grade teacher at
J.R. Trippe Middle School. "This is such an amazing honor to be named
System Teacher of The Year," said Caraballo. Caraballo went on to say,
"I teach with highly qualified and amazing teachers who care about
students and who do their job day in and day out, and I'm not sure how you
choose one teacher for this."
Caraballo, who was selected from a group of four
finalists who represented each of Vidalia's schools, says that "Teaching
is what I was created to do and I am blessed to be an educator."
The other finalists who represented Vidalia's three other
schools are VHS - Wade McLeod, SDM – Kristen Palmer, & JDD – Valarie Tapley.
Caraballo went on to say that the reason she went into
education was the inspiration that she received through her own education
experience. "From Kindergarten into college, I was inspired by fabulous
teachers and coaches who believed in me, encouraged me, and made me want to be
the best that I could be. The only occupation I ever considered was
teaching."
The mother of two (Zoe 12, & Levi 7), Caraballo is
married to Jose Caraballo and said that the ability to "touch a child's
life" was her motivation. "Knowing that I could be the one to touch a
child's life, to help them realize their potential, and make them believe in
their dreams is the only motivation I have ever needed. I have always wanted to
make a difference in the world and I needed an occupation that would give me an
opportunity to pour into others."
J.R. Trippe Principal Dr. Sandy Reid said that
Caraballo has a "servants' heart" and cares about the kids in the
classroom and, they know it. "She has developed relationships with the
kids that enable her to require high levels of engagement and high levels of
work in her classroom. Students work hard for her because of the relationships
she has built with the students."
Reid went on to say that Caraballo is a "teachers'
teacher" and is one of our mentor teachers. "It's not uncommon to
find Julie working with teachers who are new to the profession or to the
school. She does a great job with that, and she actually has helped us hammer
out a lot of the protocols that we use for mentoring teachers. A lot of the
structures that we have in place, she was critical in creating those."
Reid said that Caraballo is "kind and
compassionate," and that helps her with her role in mentoring others.
"The teachers respond very well to her and she may be one of the most
patient people I know, so she works really well in the role of mentoring
others."
Reid added that "we have a building full of great
teachers and it's really hard when you try and determine what characteristics
would allow one to be recognized in this role, and at the end of the day, she
just has all of those characteristics. She is a ten out of ten in every area
and very much deserves this recognition."
In years past, the TOTY was voted on by their peers in
the individual schools, but because of the change to a cash award for the
honor, Vidalia Assistant Superintendent Ginger Morris says the process needed
change. "Teacher of the Year is an exciting time in our school system as
administration and staff once again reflect on the attributes of what makes a
great teacher! This year's process was different as this is the first time our
teachers received a monetary award at both the school and system level. The
process begins with administration using the TOTY criterion to narrow the field
of possible recipients. Once that is done, their peers voted on the list of
teachers who meet the criterion to represent them! In this season of
thankfulness, we are blessed to have so many great teachers at each school from
which to choose. The decisions are hard, but our staff always rises to the
occasion to choose who they want to represent them at the next level.
"The judges told us it was a hard
decision this year and they complemented each Teacher chosen at their
respective schools. As the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and
Instruction, I couldn't agree more! I am excited for our 2023 Teacher of the
Year, Mrs. Julie Caraballo. Her passion for the students in her class and
school are evident in and out of the classroom. To know her, is to see someone
who is passionate about her vocation and exudes her love of teaching to
students and staff. An "Indian" from birth, she is a culmination of
all that is good and right with public education. I applaud her for her
dedication to her beliefs and for continuing the legacy of excellence in the
system!!"
Caraballo and the other finalist will be recognized at
the December meeting of the Vidalia Board of Education, where they will be
presented with a cash award and plaque honoring their selection.
Below are the Teachers of the Year from each of the four
Vidalia City School System schools.
JDD - Valerie Tapley - Tapley has been
teaching for 16 years, with the last 6 in the Vidalia City Schools. Tapley is
married to Jay Tapley, and they have two children, Abigail, 19, and Emma, 16.
Tapley says the reason she became a teacher was because
of her "love of children, their well-being, and their learning."
Tapley went on to say, "I have always enjoyed interacting with children
and believe I can make a difference in their lives. I hope to make an impact on
each child I teach and hope they leave me knowing that I love them."
SDM- Kristen Palmer – Palmer has been
teaching for 30 years and has been in the Vidalia City School System for 23 of
those years. Married to Jeff Palmer, the Palmers have two children, Jodi
Tharpe-22 and Sara Kate Palmer-19.
Palmer said that she became a teacher is "that is
what I feel I was meant to be." Palmer added, "I cannot remember a
time that I didn't want to teach. I love being able to help students grow into
lifelong learners and productive citizens."
VHS - Wade McLeod – Wade has been teaching
for 4 years and 4 months in the Vidalia City School System, although he taught
adults for 32 years at SNC/Hatch. McLeod is married to his wife Luanne, and
they have six children, Joseph-37, Ben-35, Stephen-33, David-31, Anna-29, and
Nathan-26.
McLeod said his reason for becoming a teacher was,
"I found a number of years ago that the only life worth living is one
that's given away. The question then was what from my life could I give away?
It was my love for teaching others - to see someone learn something new."
McLeod added, "Then there is love: compassion, patience, and kindness. I
could always give those away and teaching provides the pathway. Of course, I
miss the target often, but I'm still aiming. Next to that, I'm also blown away
by the world God made. Learning about His amazing creation - the order and
beauty are exciting and never grow old. It's a joy to see someone's eyes light
up when you see them catch the wonder of this world."



