Middle-High Teacher of the Year: Katrina Snider

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail,” are words written by philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, and words that Jefferson Somerset Middle-High ESE Teacher Katrina Snider has taken to be her personal creed.
According to Snider, her philosophy when it comes to teaching is to lead and be a role model, for that is how all students learn.
For the last two years, Katrina Snider has worked amongst the staff at Jefferson Somerset as the Exceptional Education Teacher and worked with her students to bring forth their natural talent and ability to learn. Through her leadership and devotion to her students, Snider has been able to help her students build their sense of confidence and form strong bonds and camaraderie with their fellow students and their teacher.
A native Floridian, Snider was raised in South Florida and got her start teaching in the Broward County School District, after graduating from college.
There, Snider taught ESE to autistic students before moving 'up north' to work in the Florida Grady County School District for a year before coming to Jefferson County in 2017.
At Jefferson Somerset, Snider teaches a multi-aged classroom of several especially gifted and unique students between the grades of 6 and 12.
“I love what I do and want to provide my students with every opportunity to learn and to love learning. My students are exceptional and I only ask the best from them and in return that is exactly what I receive. They give me 110 percent of themselves in and out of the classroom,” Snider says. “For many years, they had different teachers that never stayed. They rely on me to be the friend and confidant. I love unconditionally. The students and families that I work with need to know that teachers love them for who they are, accept their differences and only ask for them to put their best foot forward and to create a new ‘norm’ for themselves and their community.”
While her students might not learn the same way as some differently-abled students, Snider helps her students learn to embrace and work through their differences.
Snider believes that they can learn, that they can achieve success and that they can be productive members of society. She works to build their confidence and sense of belonging within the Jefferson County community.
“They can be productive members of society and Jefferson County,” said Snider, saying that she wants all her students to receive the tools and courage needed to succeed in life.
Katrina Snider has a Bachelor's degree in Special Education from Nova Southeastern University and a Master’s in the Art of Teaching from Aquinus College, in addition to her Master’s in Education from Concordia University.
Snider is married to Roger Snider, and they have two children, Abygail (age 12) and Samantha (age 11).
Outside of the classroom, she enjoys shopping and spending time with her husband and daughters.

Elementary Teacher of the Year: Cynthia Barrington

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Cynthia Barrington has been a teaching in Jefferson County for over 29 years.
Throughout this time, this passionate and caring teacher has been able to form relationships with more than one generation of students.
Starting her career as a Jefferson County educator, Barrington taught at the Jefferson Elementary School for 27 years. When the Somerset Charter took over Jefferson County's public school system, Barrington was one of the talented teachers included in the transfer.
As a second grade teacher at Jefferson Somerset, Barrington was selected, by her fellow peers, to represent the elementary school as the Teacher of the Year.
With a proven record of instructing students who achieve life-long gains and a background in providing mentorship to her former students, perhaps it is no surprise that Barrington has been selected for this honor.
“I love children, I love to challenge them and watch them succeed,” said Barrington.
For Cynthia Barrington, her journey to Jefferson County began long before she became an educator.
A native of the Caribbean, Barrington spent her childhood in the Virgin Islands.
“My grandmother raised me, and she was very in depth with education,” said Barrington.
Surrounded by a family of educators, Barrington began to feel as if she could be an asset to the lives of children as well as to the educational system itself.
Eventually, Barrington came to the States on a basketball scholarship and received her Early Education Bachelor's degree from Florida A&M University, as well as an additional Masters degree in Guidance Counseling.
“My favorite thing about teaching is building relationships with students so that I can have a better understanding of how to teach all levels. Additionally, I utilize their gifts to enhance the lessons so that it can be exciting and engaging,” said Barrington.
Through a strong relationship with her students, Barrington is able to teach her students at their level, push them, challenge them and help them make the gains they need in order to succeed.
While the children in her classroom are still young, Barrington says that one of the biggest challenges that her second-graders face is believing in themselves and their ability to learn.
She considers it her job to help them achieve whatever their future can offer, and to let them know that someone cares.
“They can exceed to a higher level, and I am here for that,” said Barrington.
Her personal creed is a quote from American author and leadership expert, John C. Maxwell: “Kids do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
And that is what Barrington does – shows her students that she cares.
Outside of her classroom, Barrington enjoys shopping and spending time with her family. She is married to Jefferson County native, Bernard Barrington and has a daughter and three step-children. With her husband, Cynthia Barrington resides in Tallahassee.

Employee of the Year: Doug Brown

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

While Doug Brown is a relative newcomer to the educational realm in Jefferson County, he is by no means a newcomer to the act of educating and enlightening students of all ages.
Brown began his educational career in 1980, at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
In 1986, Brown moved to Madison, FL, and spent the next 26 years as an instructor and administrator at the North Florida Community College.
In 2012, Brown ran for the office of Madison County Superintendent of Schools, and was elected to the public office. There, he served as the county's superintendent through 2016.
After completing his tenure as superintendent, Brown chose not to run for re-election in Madison County, instead planning to retire.
After a few months, however, Doug Brown realized he still had much left to give to students.
So when he saw that Jefferson Somerset had an open position for a guidance counselor, he applied – and was hired on to the staff of excellent educators and role models at the Somerset school.
Working with elementary students was definitely a change of pace from Brown's experience working in a field of universities and colleges, but in his own words, Brown said: “I wanted to work with kids.”
“I joined Jefferson Somerset as an elementary guidance counselor in October 2017. I have found this experience to be exceptionally rewarding as it provides me with the opportunity to make a difference,” adds Brown.
Now, only a few years after joining the Jefferson County team of educators, Doug Brown is being chosen as the Jefferson Somerset Employee of the Year.
A native of Oklahoma, Brown said that entering a career in education was a 'tradition' in his family.
“I have a family of educators, so it's kinda a family tradition,” he said. In addition: “I have a strong belief in the power of education and how it makes a difference in the lives of kids and the communities in which they live.”
Doug Brown has a Bachelor's in Sociology and a Master’s in Educational Counseling from the Southwestern Oklahoma State University, as well as “a lot” of post-graduate hours from FSU and VSU.
Despite his many years as an educator and educational counselor, Brown still considers himself a student throughout life.
“I have a very curious mind,” says Brown, adding that he considers himself to be a life-long learner. “I try to help students understand that [it] is really important in life to continue to learn.”
One of the primary difficulties facing the students he helps counsel is the need for them to develop a solid belief in their own abilities to learn, succeed and thrive.
Through his position, Brown is working to help the students build a solid belief in themselves and their own ability to tackle whatever life throws at them. His personal motto is: “Try to make a difference in the lives of children.”
Doug Brown is married and he and his wife, Lynne, have three sons and a grandchild (with another grandchild on the way).
When he is outside of the schoolhouse, Brown is an active outdoorsman.