A veteran high school teacher fueled by a passion to mentor students and her peers has been named 2020 Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year (TOTY). At the district’s annual TOTY banquet on Nov. 14, Rebecca Carlisle, an AP World History teacher at North Gwinnett HS, was named GCPS’ top teacher as well as the High School Teacher of the Year. Vivarine Argilagos, a 1st grade teacher at Lovin ES, is this year’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Brad Zickefoose, who teaches 6th grade science at Radloff MS, is the system’s TOTY at the middle school level.

The annual event is an opportunity to honor all of the county's local TOTYs who were chosen as representatives by their peers. This year, 139 local TOTYs were recognized during the festivities. The other three Teacher of the Year finalists were Ellen Hill of Dyer ES, Anthony Dramis of Hull MS, and Amber Simmons of Brookwood HS. The six finalists were chosen from among 25 semifinalists.

Mrs. Carlisle believes it’s her calling and duty to help students break the cycle and monotony of “memorize and recite” and then “move to the next class.” She is passionate about helping students recognize the benefits of “discovering” answers rather than being told them. She says, “It’s really hard work to help students recognize the benefits, but it is worth it to help them realize they are full of promise and valued perspective.”

Mrs. Carlisle began her GCPS teaching career in 2010 as a social studies teacher at Pinckneyville MS. She transferred to North Gwinnett HS in 2014. Beginning this school year, Mrs. Carlisle joined North Gwinnett’s CHARGEnorth STEM program where she teaches AP World History as part of a teaching team for a blended humanities class.

As a teacher, she believes that knowing your “why” behind your “what” is the key to a teacher’s ultimate success in and out of the classroom. When she encounters challenges, she gains perspective by seeking out someone who she can invest in and help find success.

“Thankfully, as teachers, we don’t have to look far for someone to invest in as we have 25 to 155 students that we lock eyes with every day who are yearning for that investment, and who, frankly, are worth it," Mrs. Carlisle says. "When I spend more time with a student working through an AP concept or when I work with a new teacher to develop a lesson plan, my personal feelings of being overwhelmed with stress quickly transform to being overwhelmed with gratitude and revived passion, because I am anchored in my purpose, or my 'why,' which is to always invest in others, to truly see others, and to help others be successful, as so many have done for me.”

Mrs. Carlisle earned her bachelor’s degree in History from the University of West Georgia and completed her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Georgia Southern University. Mrs. Carlisle is currently working toward a Teacher Leadership specialist’s degree from Georgia College and State University.

We wish Rebecca Carlisle success as she advances to the state Teacher of the Year competition!

About our level winners…

Lovin's Argilagos selected elementary-level winner

Vivarine Argilagos creates and nurtures an environment in her classroom where success and excellence are contagious, and failure is growth. “I instill in my students very early on, action equals results,” Mrs. Argilagos says. “I set very high expectations for my students primarily because I believe they can achieve it. My personal philosophy is set the bar high, equip students with the ladders of support, and students will reach and surpass the bar. My expectation is that every one of my students will accomplish something more today, than they did yesterday.”

Evidence that her philosophy works can be found on Amazon where you can buy a novel that she helped her students create and get published. She adds, “This accomplishment has served as a motivator for my students to continue to grow as learners as well.”

Mrs. Argilagos has been an educator for two decades, spending the first four years of her career in New York City teaching 4th and 5th grades. She began her GCPS teaching career in 2004 at Cooper ES as a 4th grade teacher and later taught 5th grade at the school. She moved to Lovin ES in 2007 where she has taught 1st, 4th, and 5th grades. Mrs. Argilagos holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and Psychology from Hunter College and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Walden University. She also earned a specialist’s degree in Teaching and Learning from Piedmont College.

Radloff MS' Zickefoose honored as MS TOTY

Brad Zickefoose may be a science teacher at Radloff MS, but to many outside his classroom, he and his students are music artists. Mr. Zickefoose has used his musical talents to help spark an interest and love of science in his classroom and beyond. Over the course of 10 years, this 6th grade science teacher and his students have created 13 songs and 8 music videos that have attracted more than 325,000 views. “While I am the first to concede that the rigor of a GCPS science classroom can’t be met by simply singing my science songs, my songs have been an integral tool for maximizing student engagement in the topics they cover,” says Mr. Zickefoose.

His teaching philosophy boils down to one word, "Fun." He says, “When you set the bar any lower than that, regardless of your content or your standard or your class size, or your comfort level, you are doing the students a disservice. There is a point in almost every kid’s life when they go from enjoying school to dreading school. My vision of excellence starts with my students coming into my 6th grade science classroom thinking they’ll be counting down the days until summer and ends with my students not wanting to say goodbye in May.”

Mr. Zickefoose has taught at Radloff MS for 11 years, his entire career as a classroom teacher. He holds two degrees from Georgia State University— a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a master’s degree in Middle Grades Math and Science.