Clinton Teacher of the Year Leigh Curtis is Mississippi College Graduate
Leigh Curtis brings a passion for education every day she’s on the job as a Clinton teacher.
On Friday morning, Curtis walked into Eastside Elementary School and discovered she’s the Clinton Public School District’s 2014-15 Teacher of the Year.
Superintendent Phil Burchfield, Assistant Superintendent Tim Martin, her colleagues and children in her 4th grade class cheered the news that caught Curtis by surprise in early December.
Curtis has taught at Eastside for 18 years, and serves as a gifted teacher for the 4th graders in Clinton.
“I have three children of my own, but I add to this number each year,” Curtis said. “As we become a family, I am not only the developer of the unique potentials of these children, but I also have a great desire to learn about every aspect of their lives.”
Curtis received her bachelor’s degree at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus in 1976. She earned her master of education degree in counseling at Mississippi College in 1991. Her husband, John Curtis, serves as a professor of computer science and physics at Mississippi College.
“I consider myself extremely blessed to be an educator,” Curtis said. “I am truly passionate about my profession.”
Curtis, 60, began teaching in 1978-79 at Lafayette Elementary in Oxford. She taught at elementary schools in Tupelo and Vicksburg, and worked six years as a counselor at Warren Central Junior High in Vicksburg before joining the Eastside faculty in 1997.
Curtis was among nine Clinton teachers nominated from the district’s nine schools. A panel of five judges selected the Clinton resident after interviews at district offices on Wednesday.
A member of the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children, she is involved in numerous professional and community organizations.
“Leigh is a team player who serves on school-level committees which benefit all students and which strengthen the school as a whole,” said Mississippi College education professor Tommye Henderson. “She is admired and respected by her colleagues and has been effective in helping classroom teachers to understand the goal of gifted education.”
MC professor Cindy Melton, who chairs the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, also sings her praises.
“Mrs. Curtis epitomizes the attributes of the model teacher,” Melton said. “It is rare to find a teacher who can so naturally inspire and genuinely embolden students, while fostering creativity and celebrating individuality with an unparalleled enthusiasm.’’
Curtis also penned an original play that is performed annually, “The Clintonians of Eastsideshire.”
Curtis will represent the Clinton district in the state Teacher of the Year program in the spring of 2015. The Teacher Center at the Mississippi Department of Education sponsors the statewide competition.
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