The Clarke County School District is pleased to announce Timothy Pritchett and Brian Smith, both of Barnett Shoals Elementary School, as its 2025-26 Teacher and Support Professional of the Year. Mr. Pritchett is a third-grade homeroom teacher at BSES, while Mr. Smith serves as the school’s behavior interventionist.
The winners were announced Thursday, Oct. 23, during the CCSD Teacher and Support Professional of the Year awards banquet at the Epting Events’ 1055 Barber venue. In total, 46 people — building-level winners from each of CCSD’s schools and special academic programs that had eligible candidates according to the district’s selection criteria — were celebrated at the banquet by the district in partnership with the Foundation for Excellence in Public Education in Clarke County. Robins Financial Credit Union was the presenting sponsor for this year’s Teacher of the Year program, while Georgia United Credit Union was the presenting sponsor for the Support Professional of the Year program. Mr. Pritchett and Mr. Smith also received a gift wagon filled with donations from dozens of local businesses.
All of this year’s building-level winners submitted applications for the districtwide awards, and the Support Professional of the Year was chosen by a district committee based on those applications. The pool of Teacher of the Year applications was narrowed down to a field of three finalists — Mr. Pritchett, Stephanie Lewis of Cedar Shoals High School, and Adrienne White of Barrow Elementary School — who were then evaluated through classroom visits and scored by a panel of judges on a rubric developed by the district. As Teacher of the Year, Mr. Pritchett will now represent CCSD in the statewide competition.
“We had a truly exceptional group of building-level teachers and support professionals of the year to consider this year, which made our judges’ task of selecting just one districtwide winner in each category extremely difficult. This included three remarkable and outstanding Teacher of the Year finalists who represent the very best of what we stand for as Clarke County educators,” said CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott. “Our call to action as a district this year is to raise the bar in pursuit of excellence in all that we do. Mr. Pritchett and Mr. Smith truly embody that mindset, and both have worked tirelessly throughout their time with CCSD to raise the bar for their students, families, colleagues, and the community we serve every day.”
Timothy Pritchett - Teacher of the Year
The winner of the Mae M. Whatley Teacher of the Year Award, Mr. Pritchett has been with CCSD since 2019, starting as a teacher at Whit Davis Elementary before moving to Barnett Shoals Elementary, where he has served for the past five years. Before his time in Clarke County, he spent three years with the Griffin-Spalding County School System – first as a substitute, then as a paraprofessional, and later as a classroom teacher. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication (Broadcast) from Benedict College and holds an M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education and M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia.
During his time at Barnett Shoals, Mr. Pritchett launched “Lunch Learners” and “After-School Achievers,” two free tutoring programs designed to provide targeted instruction and personalized attention to students. Lunch Learners students meet during the school day, and Mr. Pritchett works with small groups to reteach key concepts, strengthen foundational skills, and help students set personal academic achievement goals. After-School Achievers extends classroom support beyond regular school hours and allows him to challenge students who are ready for advanced material while providing them with additional practice where needed.
While Mr. Pritchett said he has seen students from all backgrounds embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and develop a strong sense of ownership over their learning through these initiatives, the school’s testing performance data has also shown their effectiveness, as his classes showed some of the strongest reading scores among students grades 3-5 on the Georgia Milestones and the majority of his students finished on or above grade level in their reading and math diagnostics.
“Mr. Pritchett is the kind of teacher who goes above and beyond every single day,” said Barnett Shoals Principal Sabrina Lumpkin. “His dedication to his scholars shows in the time he gives—staying after school to tutor, creating fun, hands-on science experiments, and making learning come alive. His passion inspires his scholars to believe in themselves, stay curious, and see the world with wonder. He doesn’t just teach—he changes lives.”
In addition to his tutoring work, Mr. Pritchett collaborated with other staff members to improve Barnett Shoals’ school climate and culture by refining the school’s PBIS systems, helped drive academic and cultural initiatives that led the school to achieve “Leader in Me” Lighthouse School recognition, and partnered with a fifth-grade teacher to strengthen student engagement in the Georgia 4-H program, resulting in his recognition as a four-time recipient of the Athens-Clarke County 4-H Outstanding Elementary School Teacher award.
“I consistently seek opportunities to inspire growth, build relationships, and create environments where students feel empowered, supported, and capable of achieving their highest potential,” Mr. Pritchett wrote in his Teacher of the Year application. “Each effort is driven by my belief that meaningful learning happens when students are challenged, encouraged, and valued as whole individuals—an approach that has not only elevated student outcomes but also strengthened the culture of our school community. I remain committed to improving each initiative so that their impact continues to grow year after year.”
Brian Smith - Support Professional of the Year
The winner of the Janis J. Stephens Support Professional of the Year Award, Mr. Smith is a native Athenian and proud product of CCSD, having attended Timothy Road Elementary, Coile Middle, and Cedar Shoals High School, where he graduated in 2010. He has been employed with CCSD for 12 years, all of which have been spent at Barnett Shoals. He began his career as an After-School Program teacher, worked as a special education paraprofessional, and now serves as a behavior interventionist. He has also been a core member of the school’s PBIS team responsible for Barnett Shoals earning “Distinguished PBIS School” status from the Georgia Department of Education.
Outside of his school-day job responsibilities, Mr. Smith coaches the Barnett Shoals boys’ basketball team that competes in the CCSD Elementary School Basketball League through the Athens Youth Development Initiative and is an assistant on the Cedar Shoals’ boys’ varsity basketball coaching staff.
During the 2016-17 school year, after reviewing school behavioral data that indicated a clear need within the school community, Mr. Smith founded “Boys to Men,” a mentorship and empowerment program at Barnett Shoals for male students in grades 3-5 that is designed to equip them with important life skills that will serve them well in but also extend beyond the classroom.
Character traits Mr. Smith focuses on through his guidance of the group include accountability, responsibility, resilience, confidence, and leadership. He said participants are encouraged to envision themselves not just as successful students, but as productive citizens who can positively impact the world. Since its founding, Boys to Men has engaged more than 300 students at Barnett Shoals, and every participant in the initial cohorts has gone on to graduate from high school, with many continuing into higher education, the military, or the workforce.
“Seeing these young men develop the confidence, discipline, and life skills necessary for success has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career,” said Mr. Smith. “I want every child who enters our building to know two things: they are safe here, and this is a place where they can grow into leaders. … When students learn confidence, perseverance, and self-advocacy, they are gaining tools that will serve them well through adolescence and into adulthood.”