Meet Horry County’s newest Teacher of the Year and learn what inspired her path
Horry County Schools’ newest Teacher of the Year recipient knows her fifth grade students won’t remember most of what she teaches them, but she hopes they’ll never forget how they feel in her classroom.
Shannon Jesequel, of Conway Elementary School, was presented with the award Tuesday night at a banquet in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
She was among five finalists, including Terry Filippo, of the Academy for the Arts, Science and Technology; Jody Rabon, of Pee Dee Elementary School; Jennifer Zhang, of Scholars Academy; and Henry Wortley, of St. James High School.
Jesequel, who is in her second year at Conway Elementary after teaching five years in North Carolina, thanked friends, family and colleagues in a teary-eyed acceptance speech, which she ended by stating she was excited to spend the year representing the district’s students, teachers and staff.
She said her path to teaching was inspired from growing up in poverty because school was where she felt safe, with teachers that care about her, and she wanted to “pay it forward.”
She was raised by a single mother who made numerous sacrifices for her and her brother, she said.
“I was always inspired to be a fraction of who you are,” Jesequel said to her mom during her speech.
While she loves teaching, Jesequel admitted that “even on the best days, this job is very, very, very challenging,” and she said advocating on behalf of students is what keeps her going in the classroom.
The topic of advocacy is timely, given that the banquet occurred the night before thousands of educators rallied in Columbia seeking better pay and working conditions.
Last year’s Horry County Teacher of the Year recipient, Jenny Leckey, of HCS Early College High School, gave a speech preceding the new winner announcement emphasizing the role award recipients take on as school leaders and advocates statewide.
Jesequel said Wednesday is a really important day for education in South Carolina and, though she won’t be attending the rally, it’s important for all teachers to have solidarity in seeking improvements to a broken system.
She said her decision to work Wednesday is because she will be graduating Friday from East Carolina with her Master’s degree and didn’t want to miss any more time with her class.
Her students messaged her with words of support via Google Classroom on Tuesday, and she knows they’ll be excited when they find out she won.
“They’re my team,” she said.
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 9:46 PM.
