Last year, when Superintendent Terry Connor handed Kelly Rozelle a bouquet of flowers and announced her as a finalist for Teacher of the Year, the Venice High School teacher could only shake her head and say, “I am in total shock.” She was still processing it all when, just a few weeks later, she was named Sarasota County Schools’ Teacher of the Year at the Ignite Education ceremony.
“It means a lot to represent my school,” Rozelle said. “But the district! I want to make my county proud, my students proud, and my school proud.”
Even though Rozelle admitted in a recent interview that “the honor is still shocking and humbling,” something about her had changed. It soon became clear that she had taken this year to learn, stretch and grow in ways she never expected. Most apparent was a new air of confidence and a renewed sense of purpose…