SPECIAL EDITION April 11, 2022 | Vol. 48, Issue 10
An Orange County Public Schools Employee Publication
2021-22 Winners
EDITORS Shayla Cannady Alayna G. Riggins
ADVERTISING Adrienne Noel
DESIGN & LAYOUT Kim Boulnois
CONTRIBUTOR Sandra Carr
The Orange Peal is a districtwide publication for and about the employees of Orange County Public Schools. The School Board of Orange County, Florida, does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by law. The following individuals at the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, Florida 32801, attend to compliance matters: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer & Title IX Coordinator: Keshara Cowans; ADA Coordinator: Jay Cardinali; Section 504 Coordinator: Tajuana Lee-Wenze. (407.317.3200) ©2022
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2021-22 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Kenya Nelson-Warren | Evans High Kenya Nelson-Warren’s decision to become a teacher came naturally as her mother and both sets of her grandparents were educators. A product of OCPS, after graduating from Evans High, she attended the University of Central Florida, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English. She also earned master’s degrees in Education and Public Administration from Troy University. Nelson-Warren’s professional path with the district began as an English Language Arts teacher who embraced equity and access while teaching at her alma mater a quarter century ago. During her career, she has been the instructional lead for ninth and tenth grade language arts, reading and social studies classes at the school. She also received Evans’ Teacher of the Year award in 2005 for spearheading initiatives aimed at improving student accomplishments and reducing achievement gaps.
As an administrator, she gained experience as an assistant principal at Apopka and Olympia high schools. At Apopka High, her perseverance paid off by helping increase the four-year graduation rate from 85.8% to 90.7% and it becoming an A-rated school. Returning to Evans as an assistant principal in 2018, Nelson-Warren has prided herself as a servant leader. She is passionate about fostering leadership in faculty and staff members, and helping them reach their full potential by providing actionable feedback. “It is my life’s passion to create a legacy that inspires others to dream, learn, do and become more as a result of my leadership,” she said. As a teacher-mentor, she takes time to review content standards, potential resources and teaching strategies. Taking her leadership further, she has recruited teachers for Evans’ Aspiring Leaders Program, which created a system for cross-training staff and developing monthly professional development workshops for them.
“I have a knack for noticing teacher leaders within their classroom and planting the seed for opportunity to build leadership capacity,” she said. Nelson-Warren’s fierce determination and motivation also have helped ensure is a safe place for students to learn, feel supported and receive rich instruction. Implementing social-emotional learning strategies to resolve disciplinary issues, she created an action plan that has yielded a positive impact on students. It has resulted in a 59% decrease in out-ofschool suspensions and 60% reduction in assigned in-school suspension days. Focused on leading students to success, Nelson-Warren also works diligently with community stakeholders to create internships and career opportunities. “Mrs. Nelson-Warren’s decision-making is thoughtful and collaborative, and she knows when to make tough decisions,” said Rolando Bailey, principal of Evans High. “She also is highly respected and revered for her expertise and leadership.” Note: At the time of this printing, NelsonWarren had been promoted to interim principal at Dr. Phillips High.
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2021-22 PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Julie A. Helton | Castleview Elementary Teaching dance to youth while at Naples (Fla.) High sparked Julie Helton’s interest in becoming an educator. After high school, she attended the University of Central Florida, where she became a triple Knight — receiving a Bachelor of Science in elementary education, Master of Education in mathematics and science education, and doctorate in educational leadership.
She moved to work on the opening team at West Creek Elementary as a curriculum resource teacher for a year before becoming a district curriculum services senior administrator. In this role, she assisted and trained the Plan of Involvement and Partnership Schools, and collaborated with the State Differentiated Accountability team and district resource personnel.
For more than 20 years, Helton has been leading OCPS students to success. She began her teaching career at Durrance Elementary and served the school as a grade chairperson and leadership team member. She later provided her fellow educators with instructional coaching and was the school’s aerospace and aviation magnet coordinator.
As the Multilingual Student Education Services director, Helton managed a $6 million Title III grant that provided supplemental education services to English Language Arts students. She returned to schools and helped East River High as an assistant principal of instruction. There she received the Orange County Association of School Administrators High School Assistant Principal of the Year Award in 2013. Next, she moved to Winegard Elementary in her first principal role. During her tenure, the school earned an “A” rating, and in 2016, she was named Orange County School Counseling Elementary Administrator of the Year. Since 2019, Helton has led Castleview Elementary, which she opened as its principal. One of her school efforts
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included assembling a team of six aspiring educational leaders to review iReady and Florida Standards Assessments data and developing learning strategies that would prepare students for statewide assessments. Perseverance paid off with the 2021 FSA test score data showing that 75% of the students achieved proficiency in math and reading, and 74% were competent in science. Overall, Castleview was in the top 10% of OCPS elementary schools that made progress in science learning. “Limitless potential inspires me because not one person on Earth has finished learning,” she said. “My work is anchored in the notion that, as a principal, I have the responsibility to change lives for the better.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, Helton conducted home visits and delivered food and clothing to students in need. She also visited her teachers’ homes and gave them gifts as a token of her appreciation. “I have been given the opportunity to serve a community and help them thrive by shaping well-adjusted, academically sound scholars to become lifelong learners,” she said.
2021-22 SUPPORT PERSON OF THE YEAR
Joy Hamilton | SunRidge Middle Counseling youth during the YMCA after-school program at Sunset Park Elementary put Joy Hamilton on the path toward a career in education more than 10 years ago. There, she found personal joy in helping students with their homework and nurturing their social skills, and wanted to do more for them during their time at the YMCA. Impressed with Hamilton’s drive and passion, the YMCA program directors encouraged her to participate in the organization’s leadership program, which led to her becoming a site supervisor at Prairie Lake Elementary. Transforming the culture and implementing socialemotional development strategies were her main focus when she started managing that school’s after-school program. The fruits of her labor paid off when students started to communicate in healthier ways, build their self-worth and create their identities.
For the past four years, Hamilton has been an Exceptional Student Education program assistant at SunRidge Middle. She is known as a compassionate advocate who provides her students with endless support and has been inspired to become a better person and proponent for students with disabilities. “Ms. Hamilton supports her administrators, colleagues and students with compassion and strength, and cares and provides others with loyalty and respect,” said Amy McHale, principal of SunRidge Middle. Wanting to do more for students, Hamilton started a lunchtime mentorship program at SunRidge, which has helped them improve their academic testing scores, grades and behaviors, and is making a difference in their lives. As her students’ biggest cheerleader, she helps bridge student learning gaps, champions for equity by promoting diversity and assisting students with finding their voice
and value in society, and regularly takes time out of her schedule to counsel LGBTQ+ and minority students. Her exemplary leadership came into play when she helped an eighth grader who had disciplinary issues and was not sure if he was going to finish middle school. He passed successfully, thanks to Hamilton’s assistance and guidance with his coursework. “I truly believe in consistency, transparency and teamwork, and that my relentless passion will help youth strive daily to be the very best version of themselves,” she said. Also the site supervisor of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida’s before- and after-school program at SunRidge, Hamilton is committed to youth development and hopes to bring her ideas to life by creating a stronger Winter Garden community. Hamilton is furthering her own education to obtain her director credential certificate from the Florida Department of Children and Families. “The most rewarding aspect of my career is that I’m constantly growing into my life purpose and enjoy building positive relationships and trust with my students,” she said.
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2021-22 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Nancy Welch
| Orange Technical College - Main Campus
For nearly a decade, Practical Nursing Instructor Nancy Welch has been producing the next generation of nurses at Orange Technical College’s downtown campus. She caught the teaching bug after sharing her nursing knowledge with a patient care class and decided to take a leap of faith and become an educator. A registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Florida, Welch leads by example and believes it takes a village when providing patient care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Leading students to success means working diligently to provide each student with the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills and heart necessary to provide excellent patient care to all members of our community,” she said. Welch aims to alleviate Florida’s nursing shortage by ensuring her OTC students
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are equipped with the tools they need to become compassionate, empathic and professional licensed practical nurses. According to a report by Registered Nursing, Florida has the highest nursing shortage, with a deficiency of 53,700 nurses by 2030. Welch also enjoys making learning fun with interactive instruction using mannequins to develop students’ technique when caring for patients. She also provides them with opportunities to develop a good bedside manner and receive hands-on experience at Orlando Health. “I’m passionate about teaching students not just how to be a nurse, but to pursue excellence in nursing care, and to rise above and be a role model for others,” Welch said. Thanks to her assistance, OTC’s main campus established a partnership with Prometric and became an in-facility testing site in 2014. The affiliation provides patient care assistant students
an opportunity to take their certification state exam on campus instead of at another testing location. This has led to improved pass rates from 52% in 2014 to 80% in 2019. During the summer, Welch teaches high school dual enrollment students who are getting an early start on their college courses and nursing career. Her leadership in the nursing education field also has allowed her to share her expertise with the Orlando Economic Partnership’s Leadership Orlando and the Florida Future Educators of America Annual State Conference. In addition to teaching, Welch also mentors new OTC instructors who only have industry experience and need assistance with navigating the world of higher education to effectively teach their students. “I’m so incredibly honored and humbled to represent Orange County Public Schools as your Teacher of the Year,” she said. “My current and former students have challenged me to be a better educator, and I appreciate having the opportunity to impact their lives.”
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