Shelby Press, an Alexandria, Virginia native and Hayfield Secondary School graduate who teaches second grade at Riverside Elementary School, was named “Outstanding Elementary New Teacher” at Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) annual reception and recognition ceremony on June 8.
FCPS’ Outstanding New Teacher Awards recognize elementary and secondary teachers who are within their first three years of teaching and demonstrate outstanding performance and superior instructional skills.
Press, who previously had received the same distinction at the school, pyramid and region levels, was selected from a pool of five finalists as the overall winner in that category at the FCPS Honors event, which was held at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts.
More than 700 employees in both instructional and operational roles are recognized annually through FCPS’ Outstanding Employee Awards Program, according to an FCPS news release, and a total of 71 finalists representing 12 categories were recognized during the special award ceremony this year. The top 12 honorees received a trophy (the EDDY), monetary prize and celebration at their workplace.
Rebecca Baenig, assistant superintendent for FCPS Region 5, introduced the Outstanding Elementary New Teacher finalists and announced the winner. “Although they’re still new to the profession, the educators nominated for this award have demonstrated exceptional performance and an extraordinary ability to engage and inspire their students to higher levels of achievement,” she said.
This week our second grade scientists learned about gravity and forces through outdoor exploration! @RiversideFCPS @FCPSR3 pic.twitter.com/LsnSWFJcHC
— Miss Press (@MissPressRES) April 1, 2022
Press, an accomplished field hockey player at the high school and collegiate levels, received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Elementary Education degrees from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The 2022 FCPS Honors ceremony can be viewed in its entirety on FCPS’ YouTube channel.
