Christie was nominated for her personal integrity and dedication to the teaching profession as evidenced through her leadership both in and outside of the classroom. In her 19 years of teaching, Mrs. Vaughan has specialized in teaching students with severe and profound intellectual impairments. She actively engages student learning by redesigning and incorporating strategies designed for general education students in order to best meet the needs to each student in her classroom. After researching ways to teach the concept of color to students with visual impairments, Mrs. Vaughan adapted a recipe to make scented dough so they could smell the colors. This strategy provided her student’s with a multi-sensory experience to assist them in learning about the world around them. Mrs. Vaughan states, “I believe everyone can learn if we accept them for who they are and set high expectations. Each student has the right to reach their highest potential regardless of the challenges they may face. It is my responsibility to find or create appropriate tools and strategies to provide each child with every opportunity to succeed.

As both the High School Team Leader and Moderator of the Secondary Professional Learning Community, Mrs. Vaughan is consistent, fair and respectful in her interactions with staff, parents and students. She exemplifies the standards found in the Code of Ethics. Her duties as Team Leader include providing assistance to colleagues, writing IEP’s and assisting with the administration of the Florida Alternate Assessment, and the dissemination and implementation of school-wide information. She has also presented research based curriculum to the school leadership team which was purchased for use on a school-wide basis. Mrs. Vaughan makes a great candidate for Educator of the Year not only because of her tireless service to her students and staff, but because she is an educator who truly seeks the best for everyone she serves.