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Wiregrass Teacher Named District's Best

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 13, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Lesley Wade, a biology instructor at Wiregrass Ranch High School, has been named Pasco County's teacher of the year.

Wade, 31, said she's passionate about biology and enjoys passing along her enthusiasm to her students.

"It's exciting getting to share science with these kids," she said in an interview last week before the announcement was made.

Wade was among several people scheduled to be honored Saturday night at the Pasco Education Foundation's annual Education Celebration. The event was held in the Pasco Schools Center for the Arts at River Ridge High in New Port Richey.

Monica Verra, the school district's director of exceptional student education, was named administrator of the year.

Monica Russ, the parent involvement coordinator at Cox Elementary, was named school-related personnel of the year.

Karen Bryant, the district's recycling coordinator, was named non-instructional non-bargaining employee of the year.

Wade studied microbiology in college and planned to become a doctor before having second thoughts. Her daughter was entering kindergarten and "being a mom was important time-wise," Wade said.

She set up a meeting with Andy Frelick, the Wesley Chapel High principal who had been one of her teachers at Pasco High School.

Wade came away from that meeting excited about the idea of teaching science and took her first job at Wesley Chapel. She transferred to Wiregrass Ranch High when it opened last year.

Wade said she was humbled when she learned she was one of three finalists countywide for teacher of the year. The honor was especially meaningful, she said, because the first step was when her peers at Wiregrass Ranch named her that school's teacher of the year.

"It's a great staff and for this staff to recognize me was moving," she said.

The other finalists were Dawn Scilex, who teaches third through fifth grades at Gulf Highlands Elementary, and Valerie Wilkerson, a language arts teacher at Long Middle School.

Scilex, 31, who has taught elementary school for 11 years, said being an educator was natural for her because "it's been in the family for years."

Scilex said her grandmother taught in a one-room school in Iowa and the tales she told about her experiences evoked images right out of "Little House on the Prairie."

"Her stories fascinated me as a child," Scilex said.

She was pleasantly shocked when she was named one of the three finalists.

"I represent a ton of teachers at Gulf Highlands who day in and day out put in a lot of hours," she said.

Wilkerson, 56, who has taught for 21 years, is a third-generation teacher, taking after her grandmother and mother.

"I guess it's in the blood or the genes," Wilkerson said.

In addition to Long Middle, Wilkerson also has worked at Zephyrhills High and Weightman Middle. Through the years, she has taught students from grades six through 12.

This year's group seems to be "a nice crop," she said. "I have great kids. I'm really blessed."

Wilkerson was surprised to learn she was one of the finalists for teacher of the year.

"I remain surprised," she said. "I'm so short I'm normally overlooked," says Wilkerson, who is 4 feet 11 inches tall.

Finalists for administrator of the year were Chris Christoff, principal of Seven Springs Middle, and Lynn Pabst, principal of New River Elementary.

Finalists for school related personnel of the year were Linda Kemp, a reading intervention instructional assistant at Richey Elementary, and Robert Phillips, a bus driver and instructional assistant at Schwettman Education Center.

Finalists for non-instructional non-bargaining employee of the year were Barbara Jackson, a secretary in the office of the assistant superintendent for elementary schools, and Mark Steve, plant manager at Zephyrhills High.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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