It was a Friday to remember for Bridges Prep kindergarten teacher Grace Converse – 98.7 The River radio station and Bluffton’s Brain Balance surprised her and her students in their classroom to award her their first-ever “Teacher of the Month.”
Her winnings included an Amazon Echo, a gift card for school supplies, and lunch for the entire class.
“It was an amazing surprise and to have my kids be part of it in the classroom was so fun,” Converse said.
Converse was among the first teachers hired at Bridges Prep when the school opened in 2013. She was named the school’s Teacher of the Year for 2015-2016 She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Erskine College with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and earned her Master’s degree in education with an emphasis on literacy from the University of West Georgia.
Prior to joining Bridges Prep, Converse taught at Sias International University and as a second grade teacher. Interestingly, she is married to Ashton Converse, who was Teacher of the Year for 2016-2017 at Bridges Prep.
“Grace is an amazing teacher who creates such a connection to our youngest learners,” said Dee Matthews, chair of the Bridges Prep board of directors and a longtime educator herself. “Grace is pretty much the ideal for a kindergarten teacher in my mind, and we are proud and privileged to have her with us at Bridges Prep.”
River morning personality Mark Robertson presented the award along with a bundle ofballoons at lunchtime Friday in Converse’s kindergarten class. She was the initial winner in a three month recognition of local teachers sponsored by the radio station and Brain Balance Achievement Center in Bluffton.
Bridges Preparatory School was chartered by South Carolina in mid-2012 and opened at near capacity in August 2013. Since then, enrollment has grown steadily with almost 700 students enrolled in K-10 this year.
As a state charter school, Bridges Prep is open to all students in the Lowcountry without tuition. Bridges Prep follows the Paideia principles of education: All children can learn and therefore they all deserve the same quality of schooling, not just the same quantity; and the quality of schooling to which they are entitled is what the wisest parents would wish for their own children, the best education for the best being the best education for all.
To learn more about Bridges Preparatory School, visit www.bridgesprep.org or call 843-982-7737.