Quincy Hills, Bryan County Middle School 8th grade ELA teacher, was recognized as the Bryan County Schools Teacher of the Year (TOTY) at the Bryan County Board of Education December meeting.
The process for TOTY began with the naming of school representatives in late August. A panel of career educators from various backgrounds was charged with reviewing applications and test data to name three finalists: Hills, Jamesa Broome of Richmond Hill Middle School and Susan Fennell of Richmond Hill Primary School.
At that point, school administration from four different schools had the pleasure of observing the three finalists’ classrooms.
Hills is from Stone Mountain, Georgia, graduated from Parkview High School, and is a proud graduate of Georgia Southern University (the real GSU as he refers to it). His presence at BCMS is felt throughout the school. Either you can hear his natural, booming, southern-accented voice through the halls, or you will see him working with student athletes all year long coaching various sports.
His classroom has been created with his ‘scholars’ in mind. He is frequently heard repeating one of the several classroom mantras he has such as, “The struggle is necessary” or “I am ME because of YOU!”
Hills is quick to laugh and has an inviting presence about him; however, when he talks about his class he is intent with his words, “Making lessons relevant, meaningful, and fun is a goal of mine in my classroom. I challenge my scholars with rigorous work but assure them that the struggle is necessary to grow both academically and as a human being.”
“Quincy Hills is a change agent,” said Liz Raeburn, principal at BCMS.
Her excitement about Hills is clear as she continued, “What he brings to Bryan County Middle School is immeasurable. He is a champion for our scholars in the classroom and on the practice fields. He is continuously planning and preparing amazing learning experiences… and is a leader among educators in our schoolhouse.”
His impact on the BCMS staff was evident when several staff members came to the December BOE meeting to celebrate with him.
Dr. Paul Brooksher, superintendent of Bryan County Schools, shared that, “Mr. Hills reaches kids where they are… clearly, he is a man driven by his belief that students deserve a teacher dedicated to them specifically. He has made a tremendous impact upon the students and staff at Bryan County Middle School.”
At the end of the night, Hills reflected, “I will be forever grateful for Mrs.Elizabeth Raeburn and the administrative team at BCMS for giving me the opportunity to work at the most elite middle school in the world. Their energy and enthusiasm for learning is infectious throughout our schoolhouse. All decisions are made with our scholars’ best interests in mind, so this makes for an amazing learning environment for all stakeholders. The Bryan County Schools District is a first-class school system that puts the needs of their scholars first and focuses on succeeding in all that we do.”
