Mrs. Candace Bridges was named a 2017 Education Together Teacher Excellence Award recipient last night at the Golden Eagle Awards ceremony. Bridges, who was nominated by TSA Head of School, John Hankinson, is one of only five educators in the Middle Georgia community to receive this prestigious and generous award. Recipients will receive a $1000 award to be used in a professional manner for their classroom programs.
“We believe we have selected the five most impressive educators in Middle Georgia to receive this award,” stated Education Together Program Manager, Jami Gaudet.
Candace Bridges has served the students at TSA for nine years with her outstanding work ethic, impeccable character, and passion for her field. Aside from her exceptional manner of instruction, one of Mrs. Bridges’ most significant contributions has been the implementation of the school’s Science Club which immediately spurred increased student interest in science beyond the normal classroom experience. The club’s activities correlate with TSA’s science curriculum and emphasize the importance of both local and global citizenship and stewardship while inspiring intellectual curiosity in its members. “Mrs. Bridges doesn’t have us spending our time hovering over microscopes or weighing samples; instead we spend time outside learning how all kinds of science impact the world. I learned that for every problem out in the world, there is an inquisitive person who wants to fix it. I became that person. Thanks to Mrs. Bridges, I have started to pursue a career in the medical field and have been accepted into the Young Scientist Biological Engineering Summer Program at Emory University and the CDC,” commented Savannah Brown, a junior at TSA.
As Science Department Chair, Bridges has supervised the implementation of updated technology in TSA’s science labs and courses. Students at all grade levels now use digital data hubs for recording and graphing data more accurately and quickly using the same technology found in university and other research labs.
Because of her passion for her discipline, stellar work ethic, and positive contributions to our students and our school beyond the general scope of curriculum, Mrs. Bridges is a shining example of our faculty and, as such, a very deserving recipient of this award. Congratulations to Mrs. Candace Bridges.