McDonald named MHS Teacher of the Year

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Manning High School teacher Elizabeth M. McDonald interacts with three separate grades every school day. She teaches ninth-grade AP human geography; 10th-grade U.S. history and AP U.S. history; and 11th-grade U.S. history and AP U.S. history. After just two years with Clarendon School District 2 and five years overall in the teaching profession, McDonald was voted by her peers recently to be the Manning High School Teacher of the Year. "The most rewarding part of my career in education is getting to be a part of the lives of so many young people," said McDonald in a release. "Having the ability to take a student from strongly disliking social studies and history, to being able to tolerate it or even love it is an awesome feeling." McDonald said she enjoys watching students make connections across time as they begin to understand that history is a story of how a person's decisions impact everyone. "I also love that I get to work with so many students being the Student Council advisor and Mock Trial coach," she said. "My time spent with these students helps them to cultivate leadership skills and serve the community." McDonald's students have won awards in both areas: Junior Ruby Dozier recently won the state title for Mock Trial Sketch Artist. "This is the first time we have had a State Champion for Mock Trial from Manning High," McDonald said. Married to Manning native Alonzo McDonald, who is the agriculture teacher at Manning High School, McDonald holds a bachelor of science degree in secondary education social studies from Clemson University and a master's degree in education from Anderson University. "I'm currently pursuing my second master's in educational administration from the University of South Carolina, and will complete the program (in August)," she said. "I am also in the process of taking courses at Clemson University to gain the English Speakers of Other Languages certification, which will be complete in December 2018." She is a member of the Palmetto State Teacher's Association, the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies, the National Council for the Social Studies and the South Carolina Geographic Alliance. "I (also) teach violin lessons to students who are interested in playing, since we do not have a strings program in our school, and music is my second passion," McDonald added. Through her role as advisor of Student Council, McDonald has been active with the Maranatha Food Bank, a part of United Ministries of Clarendon County. "Student Council holds food drives to give canned goods and nonperishable items to the food bank," said McDonald. "I was also able to interact with the community through the creation of our first Annual Fall Festival for children in the district. We held the festival at the high school and children were able to come, play games and get candy in a safe, structured environment." McDonald and her husband have three daughters, Maricellyn, Audra and Catherine.