Asbury Educator of the Month

When Leslie Waddelow and her husband moved to Jacksonville, Fla., nearly a decade ago, she discovered a new world as an elementary school teacher in the inner city.

When fourth-grade teacher Tonya Harman’s Life Group started a “Couch to 5K” program a year ago, the Breckinridge Elementary teacher didn’t expect to be a role model for her students… but that’s exactly what transpired over the next year.

Twelve years into her career as a middle school teacher, Joyce Bruner arrived at Jessamine Central — the county’s alternative school — for a job interview and she discovered that half of the school was housed in a double-wide trailer. The other half sat in the bottom of an ancient building, and the principal’s office was her van.

A speedy state track champion in high school, eighth-grade math teacher Kristin Gerton has proved a quick study in the classroom, as well.

It’s been a productive career already for Northern Elementary’s Lindsey Depenbrock and she’s not even 30 years old.

Peek into Deborah Powers Melear’s science lab at Sayre School in Lexington and you’ll find grade-schoolers having so much fun they don’t even realize they’re learning science. After two dozen years in education, nothing could gratify Melear more.

If you want to keep up with Janet Bertrand of Dixie Elementary, you’d better be prepared to move fast. The third-grade teacher is a whirlwind of activity and innovation.

It’s 7:45 a.m. on a recent Tuesday and Veronica Napier is putting the finishing touches on the visual for the new math unit for her fifth-graders at Justice Elementary in Winchester.