From logging long hours after school to building relationships with students, Wakefield’s staff does a lot. They spend as much time as they can committed to helping students succeed. It can be a thankless job, but sometimes people get rewarded. The Wakefield Staff of the year have been announced! Congratulations to Ms. Cottrell-Williams, Ms. Moton, and Ms. Hill!

This year is Ms. Cottrell-Williams’s 11th year at Wakefield. She teaches Social Studies, Sociology, Government, World History, and helps with Senior Project. (Wooh!)

One thing that Ms. Cottrell-Williams always tells her students is “You are enough.” She knows that students come from different backgrounds and are sometimes told that they aren’t worth it and she wants all of her student to know that they are important and at Wakefield they matter. She wants all of her students to be able to grow on their own.

When asked why she thought she received the title Teacher of the Year, Ms. Cottrell-Williams said it was because, “I respond to what the students need, not what I think the students need. I choose to trust them in order to give them the space to become their best selves.”

Ms. Moton is another amazing member of the Wakefield staff who was honored this year. She has been at Wakefield for 14 years and she is a Wakefield alumni! She thinks that she received this title because she always does what she knows will help make Wakefield work.

Ms. Moton lives by the motto “Think before you speak”. She knows that what you say can mean a lot. Ms. Moton said “everyone is different, what you do for one students doesn’t always work for the other.” She knows that to make Wakefield work the students and teachers need to benefit from one another.

Ms. Hill also received the title of Wakefield Staff of the Year for her assistance in multiple classrooms; she has been at Wakefield for 18 years. She thinks that she received the title because of her relationships with the other teachers and the fact that she works with every students and tries to build a individual relationship with each and every one of them.

Ms. Hill thinks that everyone should know that Wakefield is special. She lives by the belief that every day is a different day, nothing is ever the same at Wakefield. She enjoys that it is so diverse; you can learn about new cultures. She loves how all the teachers work as a team for the students. She feels honored to be at Wakefield because of the special bonds she has made were her students and the staff around her.

Wakefield is incredibly lucky to have these three positive ladies on staff. Thank you for all you do for Wakefield.