Pictured: BJ Ivey at Sarasota High School, one of the Ripple Effect award winners.

Five Sarasota County educators were recently named 2023 Ripple Effect Teacher Award winners by Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and Sarasota County Schools. Each award, which recognizes educators for their impact on their students, schools, and community, came with a $5,000 check for the teacher from Barancik Foundation. The Ripple Effect Teacher Awards program honors the chosen profession of Margery Barancik, co-founder of the foundation that bears her name, who was a teacher and lifelong supporter of education. Barancik Foundation presents the Ripple Effect Teacher Award to five educators twice a year, in September and May, to mark the respective birthdays of Margie and Chuck Barancik. The recipients of the fall 2023 Ripple Effect Teacher Award were: Elizabeth Donofrio, Venice High School, Kim Hunt, Venice Elementary School, BJ Ivey, Sarasota High School, Marjie Smith, Sarasota Middle School, Robert Whipple, Triad Alternative School. Each winner was surprised at their school with the award presentation by school district executive leadership, Barancik Foundation staff, school colleagues, and appreciative students. Superintendent Terry Connor read the nomination letter submitted by each winner’s principal, while award certificates and checks were presented by Barancik Foundation President/CEO Teri A Hansen and Senior Vice President John Annis. The Ripple Effect Teacher Award program was launched in 2021 and invites Sarasota County School District principals to nominate one educator from their school who sets the bar for innovation and creates lasting impacts on their students and peers. To date, Barancik Foundation has presented 30 Ripple Effect Teacher Awards.

Pictured: BJ Ivey at Sarasota High School, one of the Ripple Effect award winners.