Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMS Recognizes 29-Year Teacher With Faculty Prize

St. Margaret's School Headmistress Margaret R. Broad congratulates English teacher Shannon Spears on her selection as the first recipient of the Robert Carter and Toole Rotter Wellford Faculty Award. Looking on, left to right, are Senior Class President Cathy Ryan of Tappahannock; Beverley Rowland of Virginia Beach, daughter of the late Mr. Wellford; and Chaplain Ann Riggs.

Tappahannock, VA (June 19, 2001) - When English teacher Shannon Spears came to St. Margaret's School in 1972, teachers wore prim skirted suits and the recommended allowance for boarders was $3 a week. A lot has changed over the years, but at least one thing has stayed the same: Spears' devotion to her students and dedication to excellence in teaching.

St. Margaret's faculty and administrators recently recognized the accomplishments of the school's most senior teacher by selecting Spears to be the first recipient of the Robert Carter and Toole Rotter Wellford Faculty Award. The prize, established by the late Toole Rotter Wellford in memory of her husband, is awarded every two years to a gifted teacher who is knowledgeable in his or her content areas and who promotes positive relationships with students, innovates in the classroom, demonstrates professionalism and models "service above self."

A native of Social Circle, GA, Spears earned her B.A. from Tift College and her M.A. from the University of Georgia. Her expertise also has been recognized by the Virginia Board of Education, which appointed her to be the only independent-school teacher on the committee that formulates the Virginia Standards of Learning for eighth-grade writing.

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