Congratulations to Shiniqua Mays who was named as the Lexington County School District Three overall Teacher of the Year on Tuesday, September 19th during a special banquet that was held at T&S Farms in Leesville. Mrs. Mays, who is celebrating her eighth year in the education profession, is a fifth grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School.
Mrs. Mays holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina Aiken. In 2018, she earned a Masters of Art degree in Reading from Grand Canyon University and then in 2019, she graduated again from the school with a Masters of Art in English as a Second Language degree.
Mrs. Mays says she became a teacher to have an impact on the world around us. “My ‘why’ is to make a difference in my students so they can make a difference in the world. Knowing that I am helping shape, change, and nurture the future generations is exceptionally rewarding,” she said.
In addition to molding young minds in her classroom, Mrs. Mays is also busy at home. She and her husband, Marion, have three children–Trace (age 4), Cree (age 2) and Brooklyn (5 months old).
Mrs. Mays was one of four teachers vying for the title of overall Lexington County School District Three Teacher of the Year. Other finalists included Gracyn Livingston from Batesburg-Leesville Primary School, Jennifer Connelly from Batesburg-Leesville Middle School and Alex Richardson from Batesburg-Leesville High School.
The four Teacher of the Year finalists walked away with a host of prizes on Tuesday evening courtesy of various community businesses, organizations and individuals.
Lexington Three would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the following sponsors for their support:
-Apptegy
-Blair’s Bites
-B-L Chamber of Commerce
-Cedar Lane
-Contract Construction
-Debbie Taylor Jewelry Designs
-Economy Furniture
-Jeni Hand Custom Artwork
-Jumper, Carter, Sease Architects
-Kenneth Shuler Schools of Cosmetology
-Kindred Boutique
-Lexington Three Technology Department
-Monogram Manor
-Oswald Wholesale Lumber
-RyeCorp, LLC
-Shealy’s BBQ
-Shear Pleasure Salon
-Southern Fox Sweets
-Starbucks
-The Attic
-The Nest by Cregger Company
-The Spotted Bunny
-The Woman’s Society of B-L
-Unique Image Salon
In addition, Mrs. Mays will receive a $1,000 stipend from the SC General Assembly in April of 2024. She will also go on to represent Lexington County School District Three in the South Carolina Teacher of the Year competition that begins in January.