Berkeley County School District’s Teacher Forum had three very special scholarships to distribute during Monday night’s board meeting.
BCSD’s 2024 Teacher of the Year Rebecca Croskey from Cane Bay Middle took the podium to help present checks to two deserving students, as well as the 2025 District Teacher of the Year, Alex Wharton.
As an organization, Croskey said Teacher Forum members believe in building strong relationships with their schools, their district and their communities. By centering its focus on student-driven outcomes and servant leadership, Croskey said Teacher Forum is able to continue its mission of strengthening and growing BCSD – “and creating the future that we dare to imagine.”
Every year, Teacher Forum continues this community-centered mission by generating revenue through partnerships with community stakeholders. In addition to t-shirt sales from the district’s annual teacher conference, Teacher Forum hosted a Double Good Popcorn fundraiser and curated a collection of gift baskets for an annual silent auction. Proceeds from those fundraising efforts are used to help facilitate the scholarships that were distributed Monday night.
The first award went to BCSD Teacher of the Year Alex Wharton from Berkeley High, who was presented with the Judy Rainey Passion Project Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. The scholarship is named in honor of the district’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, Judy Rainey, and her dedication to helping BCSD continue to grow. Wharton will use the funds to bring a student-centered passion project to Berkeley High’s campus.
Croskey received the scholarship herself last year, and the funds are going toward creating outdoor learning spaces at Cane Bay Middle.
“I’m excited to watch my project grow, and we’re very excited to see what Alex does with hers,” Croskey said.
Teacher Forum then recognized two graduating seniors who are recipients of the student scholarships, each valued at $2,500. In order to qualify for these scholarships, students filled out an application and wrote an essay that Teacher Forum’s leadership team reviewed and scored using a “very rigorous” rubric. One scholarship was selected for a student graduating from a Career and Technical Education (or CTE) program, the other went to a graduating Teacher Cadet.
Lindsey Newman from Hanahan High was named the winner of the CTE scholarship. She has an extensive resume, and is credited as a very active student who also made time for cheerleading, serving as the president of the HOSA chapter at her school, and was also an employee at MUSC. She placed third in the nursing assistant category at the annual HOSA state conference and went on to compete on the national level.
Newman wrote in her essay that these programs have prepared her for the most important step in her journey as a future healthcare professional: the Charleston Regional Youth Apprenticeship program. This is a rigorous, highly-competitive program that has given Newman invaluable real-world opportunities to learn about a career in healthcare, including allowing her to graduate with 1,000 hours of work in the field and certification as a nursing assistant and patient care technician. Newman will attend Clemson University in the fall.
Emily Moon from Berkeley High was named the Teacher Cadet scholarship recipient. She boasts an equally robust and impressive resume: she is Berkeley High’s 2025 salutatorian who is an engaged member of her campus community. She serves as the Berkeley County’s first alternate for the Senate Youth Program, Student Body Vice President, Beta Club Vice President of Service and the National Honors Society’s Historian.
She is also a two-sport varsity athlete who works at the Berkeley County Country Club. She also does a great deal of volunteer and community work.
During her time in the Teacher Cadet program, she has logged more than 200 hours of field experience in the classroom, which she said has made a big impact on her decision to become a high school history teacher. Moon is a Teaching Fellows recipient and is heading to the University of South Carolina in the fall.
Cayce Giddens, BCSD’s 2023 Teacher of the Year as well as the 2024 Teacher Forum Chair, wrapped up the Teacher Forum portion of the evening by presenting school board members with a special gift: a mosaic depicting children, made out of LEGOs.
Giddens said the artwork reflects the heart of Teacher Forum’s theme last year: connect and build. The mosaic is a symbol of what happens “when we come together with purpose and vision.”
Each child in the mosaic is about a 5 x 5 -inch square, Giddens said, and were worked on by each Teacher of the Year in the district at every Teacher Forum event this past year.
“Each piece may seem small and abstract when separate, when we combine it, it creates something meaningful,” Giddens said. “A heartfelt thank you to (Croskey) for embracing the spirit of my theme from last year and bringing it to life in this incredible representation.”
