Mewborn chosen as Wayne County Teacher of the Year
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 29, 2008 1:39 PM
The sole male candidate for Wayne County Teacher of the Year won the honor Thursday night at Walnut Creek Coun-try Club.
George L. Mewborn III, an English and composition teacher at Spring Creek High School since 2001, is a 30-year veteran in education. He won the same title in Greene County in 1986, going on to become a runner-up in the regional competition.
In addition to being "surprised and honored and proud and delighted," Mewborn told the crowd he was also humbled by the announcement, accepting not only for himself but for his school.
"My school -- Spring Creek High School -- is not exactly like every other high school in Wayne County," he said. "In many ways we're unique. For one thing, we're a (grade) 6-12 school. Demographically, we're about as diverse as any school can be.
"We have a remarkable and amazing faculty. We have teachers, all of whom really need to be standing here."
Calling Spring Creek "a great place to work," he also credited his principal, Stephen Clingan, with inspiring loyalty and team spirit.
Clingan said several things stand out about the teacher.
"First is his genuine passion for the content area of English language literature and his expertise in teaching it," he said. "Second is his commitment to his students, often helping them with college application essays, providing recommendations and preparing them for the SAT, all on his own time. Third, Mr. Mewborn is committed to protecting and endorsing high standards for the teaching profession. Mr. Mewborn obviously loves what he does each day. His attitude and leadership have influenced not only students but staff members as well."
Mewborn will next advance to the regional portion of the competition. As Wayne County's representative, he receives a $5,000 Kemp/ Twiford Worldview Travel/Study award to be used to travel outside of the U.S.
Cathy Best, 2007-08 Teacher of the Year, was the featured speaker at the banquet, sharing her experiences over the past year.
"How wonderful it's been to represent the teachers of the county," she said. "It was a pleasure to represent the best in the world."
She presented a travelogue of her summer trip, a 10-day visit to Canada.
Other finalists for the district honor included Ann Price, a second-grade teacher at Tommy's Road Elementary School, and Angie Lewis, a seventh-grade math teacher at Rosewood Middle. Each will receive a $4,000 travel/study stipend.