SREF to honor Pate on Friday

Pate Gulf Breeze News

Gulf Breeze High School English teacher Edward Pate will be the guest of honor Friday evening when the Santa Rosa Education Foundation honors the county’s top teachers during the Santa Rosa Golden Apple Celebration at New World Landing.

Pate, 42, was chosen the county’s 2011 Teacher of the Year in January and represents 33 nominees from across Santa Rosa. Pate teaches English III and PJC dual-enrollment classes, English Comp 1101 and 1102. He’s the English department chair, a faculty representative on the PTSO Board, a member of the School Advisory Council, and head coach of the district-champion boys golf team.

He’s been at Gulf Breeze High for five years.

“Most significant to me is the fact that our students first nominated teachers, and the students’ nominations were used to develop the short list that the faculty considered,” Pate said of his nomination.

“Accordingly, I’m especially honored to have been recognized by our students, the people I work with most and receive the most rewards from, on a daily basis.”

Pate is Santa Rosa County’s nominee for Florida Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at the Florida Teacher of the Year Roundtable in July.

Other finalists included Chloe Vignes of Gulf Breeze Elementary School and Sherri Ward of Bennett Russell Elementary.

The SREF Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, which consists of administrators, business and community leaders, and past Santa Rosa Teachers of the Year, observed finalists in their classrooms and conducted interviews before selecting Pate as Santa Rosa Teacher of the Year.

Other Gulf Breeze-area teachers of the year at their respective schools, in addition to Vignes, were: Heather Barona of Gulf Breeze Middle, Alicia Taylor of Oriole Beach Elementary and Gina LaVere of Woodlawn Beach Middle.

To learn more about the Golden Apple Celebration, call 983-5043.