Lita Barnette, English teacher at Habersham Ninth Grade Academy, was given the Board of Education’s Extra Mile Award Monday night. Board member Pat Taylor, who had worked with Barnette, read the nomination forms from Connie Franklin and Samantha Smith, and presented the award.
Connie Franklin said that she nominated Barnette because she planned and organized a trip to Washington, DC for gifted and advanced students during the last school year. Barnette also accompanied the students on the Washington trip.
Franklin said Barnette worked hours outside the school day “to ensure that our students had the best possible experience” on the trip. She organized a meaningful tour, Franklin said, which included “all of the monuments, our Capitol and Archives, Arlington Cemetery, and the Smithsonian museums for Natural History, Air and Space, and American History” as well as other sites.
Franklin also wrote that Barnette had planned and implemented “a trip to North Georgia Tech for some of our students that showed an interest and needed extra motivation.”
Samantha Smith nominated Barnette because of “the extra mile she went planning the Washington trip,” but also because she “has a heart for all people, co-workers, students, and parents.”
Smith added that Barnette “has a servant’s heart” and that it has been a privilege for her “to work alongside such a wonderful lady.”
Franklin and Smith both noted that Barnette was the perfect example of a teacher who “went the extra mile” as she performed her job.
