Honoring Excellence: Dalton Public Schools names 2025 Teacher of the Year, ‘school spirit’ champions

Published 8:30 am Saturday, August 2, 2025

Fitted with strobe lights, a deejay and a makeshift wrestling ring, Dalton High School’s gymnasium was converted into a one-time wrestling stadium on Thursday as schools battled to become holders of the first-ever “school spirit” championship belt during Dalton Public Schools’ employee convocation.

During the event that resembles a district-wide pep rally and featured employees from the system’s six elementary schools and four secondary schools, the 2025 Teacher of the Year and Classified Staff Member of the Year were named.

Dalton Board of Education member Tulley Johnson, who graduated from Dalton High School in 1968, shared the importance of teaching.

“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions,” Johnson said. “The best teachers are those who show students where to look, but don’t tell them what to see. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Johnson said a teacher’s passion is the “spark that lights the path to success.”

“It embraces challenges and opportunities for growth and innovation, and recognizes the unique potential in each student,” he said. “It is your superpower, because you change their lives. It instills their love for learning; it is a gift that lasts a lifetime. The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.”

As members of the school system and the Dalton community celebrated that passion, several nominees were honored with awards for the district’s Classified Staff Member of the Year, including Blue Ridge School’s Cassie Cochran, Brookwood School’s Rosie Rivera, City Park School’s Sandi Hannah, Park Creek School’s Nery Martinez, Roan School’s Chandler Kinser, Westwood School’s Terah Blankenship, Hammond Creek Middle School’s Jacob Fields, Dalton Junior High School’s Aida Krnjic, The Dalton Academy’s Jessica Barbosa and Dalton High School’s Debra Holbrook, who was announced as the overall winner for 2025.

City Park teacher Nicole Gillispie was named the 2025 Teacher of the Year. Gillispie was given a new 2025 Ford Bronco Sport by Ford of Dalton and Dealer Principal Jason Denson.

Other nominees for Teacher of the Year included Blue Ridge’s Madison Clark, Brookwood’s Sheree Patton, Park Creek’s Katya Spence, Roan School’s Kelli Scheunemann, Westwood’s Kapua Torres, Hammond Creek’s Faviola Peña, Dalton Junior High’s Emily Weathers, The Dalton Academy’s Dolores Carrillo and Dalton High’s Whitney Lusk.

New for 2025’s convocation was the crowning of the district’s first-ever elementary and secondary “school spirit” champions, with the winners receiving a custom-made championship belt featuring Dalton Public Schools’ new logo.

Roan School won the elementary championship following a four-minute skit which featured teachers Paiton Grant and Lacey Vaughn giving their best Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage impressions, while Hammond Creek Middle School won the secondary school championship for its “Star Wars”-themed skit, complete with jedi robes, lightsaber duels and an appearance from Darth Vader.

Lindsay Lofty, president of the Dalton Education Foundation, also spoke at the event, providing an overview of the foundation.

“Giving back and supporting excellence in our schools is our top priority,” she said. “The foundation’s mission is to provide these over-and-above opportunities that allow our educators to dream dreams about how to build a beyond-incredible school district for our students. We are able to provide these opportunities through two types of programs, the first being through awards like the Tom Jones Educator of the Year Award and the second being through grants.”

Lofty said the foundation is also able to provide 12 students with scholarships every year.

“How does the foundation do all this?” she said. “Well, we work hard to gather corporate donations for our annual Paint the Town Red community tailgate party. The foundation also seeks contributions from community leaders and supporters through our annual mail-out campaign. And our final means of raising funds is through the DPS (Dalton Public Schools) employee fundraiser.”

Lofty, with other foundation trustees, recognized Dalton Public Schools educators who received 41 grants this year.

“We also get to present our big check here at convocation,” she said. “And this year, the Dalton Education Foundation is proud to present Dalton Public Schools with $65,500.”