In separate recognition surprises on Monday morning, the Lauderdale County School District named West Lauderdale High School teacher Shauna Waters as the district’s Teacher of the Year and Anita Wansley, principal at Northeast Elementary School, as Administrator of the Year.

The two honorees will go on to compete in the Third Congressional District teacher and administrator of the year programs, respectively. If they win at the regional level, they will become finalists for the Mississippi Teacher of the Year and Mississippi Administrator of the Year recognition programs, which will be announced later in the spring.

“I am completely honored. I love what I do, and I love Northeast Elementary, so this is just icing on the cake,” said Wansley, who is in her fourth year as principal at the elementary school. “I believe that we have a lot of great things happening here at Northeast, and I hope to continue them.”

Wansley was surprised with a bouquet of flowers and the announcement by a gathering of LCSD administrators in front of an auditorium of cheering students.

Superintendent John-Mark Cain told the students they are very fortunate to have a dedicated principal like Wansley, who works hard to make sure they have great teachers and the educational experiences needed to make them successful, while keeping them safe each day.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with you over these last few years and to continue to watch you grow in this role, to continue to lead Northeast Elementary into new highs,” Cain said.

Afterwards, Cain said the district’s selection committee always looks to see which teachers and administrators are doing a good job in representing the school district’s values and working hard to meet the district’s goals, in addition to their growth as educators.

“There is no question that Ms. Wansley here at Northeast Elementary has led her school to back-to-back A ratings, which is phenomenal, and she continues to do a good job and continues to raise the bar, and really represents LCSD with our core values in what she does each and every day,” he said. “She earned it.”

Waters, who is in her eighth year at West Lauderdale, is a 20-year veteran of the teaching profession. She was named the district’s High School Teacher of the Year as well as the district’s Teacher of the Year. She teaches Advanced Placement English for seniors, Honors English for sophomores, English 4, and well as serves as the school’s academic team coach, Tech Champ, National Honor Society adviser and school newspaper adviser. She formerly taught a Spanish class, too.

“I am tremendously honored. I was not expecting it,” Waters said. “To be chosen, from what I know was a pool of some wonderful other teachers, is a great honor.”

Walking into her classroom, one can quickly see she loves teaching English, both literature and composition, from the large assortment of books to the collection of literary vinyl figures to quotes from Shakespeare and grammar tips posted on pretty much any spare wall space.

“I am a true English nerd,” she said, jokingly. “I enjoy reading the research papers and grading them. I like everything from the grammar to the literature.”

In becoming an English teacher, she found great inspiration from her mother, Pam Waters, who was a teacher at West Lauderdale for 35 years from 1970 until 2005. The elder Waters taught 11th grade English and was the school’s first speech teacher.

“I am proud that her hard, hard work has gotten recognized and I am just tremendously respectful with what she does with her time and her interest in teaching,” Pam Waters said. “She’s always looking for that innovation that she can bring into the classroom.”

She said her daughter is completely dedicated to her students and helping them succeed on an individual level, often going above and beyond. Pam Waters said she was proud, but a little surprised, to learn her daughter was named Teacher of the Year.

“Not because of her ability, but just because it’s not something I think she would have sought out or tried for herself because that’s not the way she’s oriented,” Pam Waters said. “She’s oriented to that classroom and to what goes on in that classroom.”

Dr. DeShannon Davis, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources and compliance, said Waters is very deserving of the district’s Teacher of the Year award and has not only made an impact with her students in her classroom, but also in the community and through her body of work as an educator.

“Ms. Waters is very well versed, very well traveled. She has studied in Japan. She ’s very accomplished in her degrees,” Davis said. “She has made an impact in her classroom most definitely, but she also has made a great impact in the community.”

Sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Teaching and Learning, the Mississippi Teacher of the Year program recognizes outstanding performances by the state’s public school teachers. The Mississippi Administrator of the Year program recognizes outstanding achievement and performance by the state’s school administrators.

Other teachers recognized at each of the Lauderdale County schools at Teachers of the Year include Robin McEntyre, a kindergarten teacher at West Elementary; Deana Perkins, a sixth-grade English and language arts teacher at West Middle; Linda Taylor, a fourth-grade math teacher at Northeast Elementary; Misty Warren, an eighth-grade math teacher at Northeast Middle; Kimberly Ridinger, an algebra I teacher at Northeast High; Kristy Turk, a fourth-grade English, language arts and social studies teacher at Southeast Elementary; April Bonner, a seventh and eighth grade English teacher and founder of the school’s cross country program at Southeast Middle; Chloe Simmons, who teaches AP zoology, anatomy and physiology and dual credit courses at Southeast High; Renee Greer, a first grade teacher at Clarkdale Elementary; and Heather Rios, a Spanish teacher at Clarkdale High School.