District 2 names Jeffrey Gaines Teacher of the Year

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Jeffrey Gaines was named the Clarendon School District 2 Teacher of the Year on Tuesday evening during the District 2 Board of Trustees' regular monthly meeting.

"To be selected from such a distinguished panel of educators is a rewarding experience that words cannot adequately described," Gaines said. "I am so very honored to serve my school district in this capacity as we continue to inspire young people to strive for excellence."

Gaines was named earlier this year as the Manning High School Teacher of the Year. The Barnwell native has been the band and choral director at Manning High School for the past three years and will step into an administrative role in the coming year.

“I was speechless and humbled that my colleagues elected me to serve in the capacity of Teacher of the Year,” Gaines said. “I am honored that I can represent our school.”

A graduate of Barnwell High School, Gaines received a bachelor of music education, instrumental, from Newberry College in 2008, graduating cum laude. He received a master of education, classroom leadership, from Southern Wesleyan University in 2010 and a master of education, administration and supervision, from the same in 2017. He is currently endorsed for gifted and talented programs and is a certified mentor teacher.

He first taught at Blackville-Hilda public schools in Blackville, from 2008-11, as the band, choral music and gifted and talented enrichment instructor for grades five through 12. He also taught sixth- through eighth-grade band at at Southside Middle School in Florence from 2011-14.

He was named the 2011 Teacher of the Year in Blackville, and was a runner-up for the same award in 2013 at Southside Middle School. In 2014, he was the Five Star Optmist Teacher of the Year Award recipient in Florence. He was Teacher of the Year in 2014 at Southside Middle, and was Clarendon School District 2 Ambassador of the Year in 2016.