Teacher retention and recruitment are vital to a quality education system. According to a 2003 study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, after just five years, between 40 and 50 percent of all beginning teachers have left the profession. We need to make sure that new teachers receive mentoring, support and recognition during their early years as educators.
Each spring, the Santa Rosa Education Foundation invites every school in the Santa Rosa School District to nominate one teacher for the Rookie of the Year award. Any classroom teacher in his/her third year or less of teaching is eligible for this award. This includes total teaching experience, not just in Santa Rosa public schools. The Santa Rosa Education Foundation’s Rookie of the Year committee reviews all applications and selects one outstanding nominee as the Santa Rosa Rookie of the Year.
All Rookies of the Year will be honored at the Santa Rosa County School Board meeting being held on Thursday, May 13th, at 6:30 P.M. at Woodlawn Beach Middle School. The 2021 Santa Rosa Rookie of the Year will also be announced and presented with a monetary award from the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation.