School District Five has named finalists for its 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year award.
The finalists are: Anna Maria Hinson, a Spring Hill High School English teacher; Kathryn Meetze, a Reading Interventionist at H. E. Corley Elementary School; and Patrick Smallwood, a Biomedical Technology teacher at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies.
Hinson has served at Spring Hill High School for the past 6 years. She began her teaching career in 2020. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English (2019) and a Master of Teaching for Secondary English (2020) from the University of South Carolina. In addition to earning her master’s degree, Hinson is Gifted and Talent Certified and earned the prestigious distinction of National Board Certification in 2024.
Hinson believes in the power of community involvement to ensure that student learning transcends the classroom. One way she achieves this is through projects and assignments that are relevant to the real world and involve authentic audiences. She invites families and community members to attend students’ presentations, creating a public forum where students present and defend their ideas. Knowing their work will be shared with authentic audiences motivates students to take ownership of their learning, and allows students to connect with the community which has had a significant influence on their college and career goals/decisions.
“I help students see how learning can extend into the broader community by involving myself in clubs and extracurricular activities in my school,” Hinson said. “This year, I am helping spearhead our school’s participation in the American Exchange Project, a national program connecting students with host families in demographically, culturally, or politically different communities. In my ELA classroom, we discuss the importance of considering different perspectives in our writing, and we read texts that allow us to see life experiences through someone else’s eyes. Through clubs like The American Exchange Project, students are able to take these values from the classroom and live them out in an immersive way.”
Meetze has served as H. E. Corley Elementary School’s Reading Interventionist for 9 years. She also taught fourth and fifth grade at BC Grammer School No 1 in West Columbia for a total of 5 years and she taught third grade at Richard Winn Academy for one year. She earned her Master of Educational Leadership from American College of Education and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Winthrop University, where she graduated cum laude. She is LETRS trained and has completed the Foundations of School Leadership Program through South Carolina Department of Education, reflecting her commitment to both instructional excellence and leadership growth.
Her greatest contributions to public education focus on improving literacy outcomes through intentional, data-driven instruction, and collaborative leadership. Meetze supports schoolwide RtI and MTSS initiatives by using student data to guide instructional decisions, refine interventions, and ensure equitable support for all learners. She is committed to mentoring teachers, fostering meaningful data conversations, and strengthening partnerships with families through literacy-focused outreach.
“I believe literacy is foundational to equity,” Meetze said. “I believe instruction must be responsive to data, not trends. I believe students deserve explicit teaching—not guesswork. I believe families are partners, which is why I share Sound Wall resources and decodable strategies during parent sessions so learning continues at home. Most of all, I believe that when students understand the structure of language, doors open. A Sound Wall is more than a display. A phonics lesson is more than a routine. They are tools that give children access—to texts, to knowledge, and to their own confidence.”
Smallwood is a National Board Certified Teacher who has worked at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies for 14 years as a Biomedical Science teacher. He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in the sciences from the University of South Carolina. After teaching assignments as an undergraduate and graduate student, he decided to pursue a secondary education position as a way to encourage more young people to pursue the sciences upon graduation. He has spent over two decades in School District Five doing just that, challenging students to become lifelong learners in innovative fields of study. After beginning his career at Dutch Fork High School, Mr. Smallwood was an inaugural staff member of the Center for Advanced Technical Studies, where he remains today as a Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructor. He always emphasizes process skills over content in his classes, so students are challenged to “think-outside-the-box” as they develop problem solving and critical thinking skills that will serve them well regardless of their plans upon graduation.
“One of the most significant ways that I ensure education extends beyond my classroom is through a year-long biomedical research or engineering project in which students select their own topics,” Smallwood said. “Rather than assigning a research question to each student or group, I guide students through a process of identifying issues that matter to them, to our community, and to the healthcare industry. Students have previously investigated topics such as energy drink consumption in teens, disparities in breast cancer screening, and the impact of sleep deprivation on teen mental health. This intentional choice fosters not only ownership but also relevance. Students conduct literature reviews, design investigations and surveys, analyze data, and present conclusions grounded in evidence. Because the project topics are personally meaningful, students are able to persist through challenges and demonstrate a deeper inquiry.”
Teacher of the Year winners from each school include: Dr. Hadiyah Leonard (Academy For Success), Stacy Topps (Ballentine Elementary), Patrick Smallwood (Center for Advanced Technical Studies), Rachael Stenger (Chapin Elementary), Yarah Rose (Chapin High), Christina Brown (Chapin Intermediate), Dr. Kristi Grooms (Chapin Middle), Ashleigh Hollis (CrossRoads Intermediate), Marrianne Cooper (Dutch Fork Elementary), Jay Gilliam (Dutch Fork High), Grace McKlveen (Dutch Fork Middle), Dani Tarvin (FIVE), Kathryn Meetze (H. E. Corley Elementary), Jaime Funk (Harbison West Elementary), Erin Donoghue (Irmo Elementary), David Pappas (Irmo High), Shayauna Brewer (Irmo Middle), Mary Catherine Greenway (Lake Murray Elementary), Emily Holz (Leaphart Elementary), Christa Edwards (Nursery Road Elementary), Tiffani Smiley (Oak Pointe Elementary), Hollie Heming (Piney Woods Elementary), Lauri Williams (River Springs Elementary), Robyn Constable (Seven Oaks Elementary), and Anna Maria Hinson (Spring Hill High).
“Congratulations to our Teacher of the Year finalists and those who were selected by their peers to represent their school in our district,” Superintendent Akil E. Ross, Sr. Said. “Our staff truly shares the vision that ‘We love and grow our students’ and exemplify that in their classrooms. We are thankful to have the incredible talent and dedication of our teachers in School District Five and grateful for all they do to help our students be successful.”
