WHS's McMillion “Teacher of the Year”

During a Literacy Week event last Tuesday students at Wewahitchka High School read for more than 33,000 minutes.

And last Friday during a surprise celebration of that achievement those students learned that one of the teachers stoking that passion for reading would serve the next 360-odd days as the 2011 Gulf County Teacher of the Year.

Kimberly McMillion, who teaches reading and English, accepted the combined congratulations of those gathered in the school’s commons area and then promptly lavished praise on everybody but herself.

In fact, McMillion seemed almost apologetic to be receiving the honor. It being Friday and a day full of activities, she said, McMillion had come to work in what could be described as “casual work” attire, including her Wewahitchka High School sweatshirt.

She was hardly expecting Superintendent of Schools Tim Wilder and several school board members to be arriving bearing flowers.

“I had been dressing up all week and I just decided it being Friday and with everything going on, I would dress a little more casually,” McMillion said in a chagrined tone. “I wish somebody had told me (she might receive the Teacher of the Year honors) about today. I would have dressed differently.”

Having apologized for attire, McMillion then began speaking about the work that led to her being named “Teacher of the Year,” leaving aside any “I” and sprinkling in plenty of “we.”

“We’ve worked really hard this year,” McMillion said of the various reading programs – including a newly-formed reading club – which got off the ground this school year. “I was extremely surprised (by the honor), but this is a team effort. The students have worked really hard and this let’s the students see that hard work pays off.

“And it’s not just me, it is the whole staff. We share successes and failures.”

Last Friday was definitely a success for the Wewahitchka girl who graduated from Wewahitchka High School, came back home to teach, was laid off three years ago after her first year due to budget cuts and is now the county teacher of the year in her second year back.

“It feels great,” McMillion said. “We created this club this year and I would have done it anyway, but this is a reward.”

The club is called “All That Ink” or ATI and aims to broaden the minds of the students through creative and meaningful milestones, McMillion said.

“She is young and brings new blood and new ideas to teaching students to read, which you need at any school, but which are very important in high school,” said Principal Debbie Baxley. “She has a great rapport with students and it shows. She is very effective teacher.”

The focus of the club is on literacy, creativeness, leadership and community/school service, among other aspects of its mission, and focuses on themes from journalism to art to exploring modern culture.

A classroom is decorated in a variety of themes centered on reading, from poetry to reading in music, in media and reading as fun.

Guest presenters come in and talk to the students about all matters having to do with the printed word. There are themes, say February as Black History Month.

There are events, such as Literacy Week.

Five days devoted to reading, the week has come to existence from the federal and state level in recent years.

As part of the week’s series of events, students in Florida attempted what was billed a “One Million Minute Reading Marathon.”

The idea was for students to spend at least 20 minutes during a single classroom period reading. The students and teachers at Wewahitchka High School decided to spend most of that period reading, upping their minute totals exponentially.

“We had over 33,000 minutes, which I think Mr. Wilder said was more than all the other five (county public) schools combined,” McMillion said. “We by far did more than any other school; it was a total team effort.”

The key is getting the students charged, a challenge in high school when many reading habits are established. Good readers need no push, those who have found reading less than their favorite subject need a bit of a pull.

“It is hard to get students on board and get then energized about reading,” McMillion said. “But the teachers are on board. I have very good colleagues, in the English department especially.

“We are going to keep this thing going.”

Said like a “Teacher of the Year.”