Excellent Educators is a WAVY-TV 10 initiative to celebrate local teachers who have gone above and beyond for their students and communities during the last academic year. These Excellent Educators were nominated by their school divisions. Congratulations to these educators for all of their hard work and accomplishments!
Name: Kimberly Roark
Division: Gloucester County Public Schools
Position: Reading specialist at Botetourt Elementary School
What the school division said about this Excellent Educator: Kimberly Roark serves as the reading specialist for 570 students at Botetourt Elementary School. She is truly an inspiration to all around her. To say that Roark has gone above and beyond is an understatement. She has risen to various challenges during the past two school years during the coronavirus pandemic.
This role has placed an enormous amount of pressure on her as she strives to meet the needs of many students, as well as supporting teachers during this difficult time. She has faced many adversities with a courageous spirit and a never-quit demeanor. Roark’s peers see her as an instructional leader and turn to her for instructional advice when students are struggling.
To further address learning loss for all students, Roark helped develop a reading curriculum with a foundation on research-based methods from Science of Reading. Implementation of this curriculum has resulted in a significant difference in the overall reading achievements of our students. This curriculum has been embraced by all reading teachers at Botetourt and this is solely due to Roark’s ability to support classroom teachers and model lessons for them through the school year. Her contribution to the students at Botetourt is immeasurable.
