Three Inducted Into JSU's Teacher Hall of Fame

Teacher Hall of Fame inductees and guest speaker pose after the ceremony with President Bill Meehan, far right. They are, from left, Dr. Ruth Ash, state department of education, guest speaker; Mrs. Kim Yarboro, Hoover city system; Mrs. Deannia Smith, Oxford school system; and Mrs. Linda Johnson, Blount County system.

Winners of the oldest hall of fame of its kind in the state, the Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame, are as follows:

Linda Johnson of Cleveland Elementary in the Blount County school system, winner of the elementary division;

Kim Yarboro of the Robert F. Bumpus Middle School in the Hoover city system, winner of the middle school division;

Deannia Smith of Oxford High School in the Oxford city system, winner of the secondary school division.

The inductees were chosen recently from finalists nominated by school systems across the state.

Mrs. Johnson has taught first grade for nine years and has a total of 26 years of teaching experience. She received a bachelor's in education from JSU in 1978 and a master's from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1982. Her previous honors include selection to the USA TODAY All USA Teacher Second Team, selection as Blount County Teacher of the Year, and being listed in Who's Who Among Teachers.

Mrs. Yarboro has taught sixth grade mathematics for five years and has six years of teaching experience. She received a B.S. in psychology from Birmingham-Southern College in 1988, an M.S. in psychology from the University of Memphis in 1990, and the M.A. in elementary education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1999. Her pervious honors include receiving an award during the Hoover City Middle School Conference.

Mrs. Smith has taught eleventh grade English for eight years and has 15 years of teaching experience. She received a B.S. in education and language arts from JSU in 1997 and a master's in education and language arts from the University of Alabama in 2003. Mrs. Smith was one of only two teachers in the state to pilot Pat Cunningham DeVoto's novel, The Summer We Got Saved. She was named Oxford High School Teacher of the Month in 1998 and 2002.

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