2023-2024 Teacher of the Year Shiniqua Mays

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Congratulations to Shiniqua Mays who was named as the 2023-2024 Lexington County School District Three overall Teacher of the Year on Tuesday, September 19th during a special banquet that was held at T&S Farms in Leesville. Mrs. Mays, who is celebrating her eighth year in the education profession, is a fifth grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School.

Mrs. Mays holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina Aiken. In 2018, she earned a Masters of Art degree in Reading from Grand Canyon University and then in 2019, she graduated again from the school with a Masters of Art in English as a Second Language degree.

Mrs. Mays says she became a teacher to have an impact on the world around us. “My ‘why’ is to make a difference in my students so they can make a difference in the world. Knowing that I am helping shape, change, and nurture the future generations is exceptionally rewarding,” she said.

In addition to molding young minds in her classroom, Mrs. Mays is also busy at home. She and her husband, Marion, have three children–Trace (age 4), Cree (age 2) and Brooklyn (5 months old).

Mrs. Mays was one of four teachers vying for the title of overall Lexington County School District Three Teacher of the Year. Other finalists included Gracyn Livingston from Batesburg-Leesville Primary School, Jennifer Connelly from Batesburg-Leesville Middle School and Alex Richardson from Batesburg-Leesville High School.