Oak Grove Elementary School’s first grade teacher, Cheryl Bartolotti, was recently selected as Lexington County School District One’s 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year. She will compete in next year’s state-level Teacher of the Year program.
Bartolotti’s deep-rooted philosophy, “If there’s a will, there’s a way,” describes not just her teaching style, but how she approaches life. She believes all students can succeed when teachers are willing to go the extra mile to reach each individual.
Bartolotti’s background is diverse. What drew her to teaching is a culmination of her life experiences. “My parents always said I’d make a great teacher, but I wanted to be different, take the road less traveled,” she says. Baseball and field hockey were her favorite sports growing up. She was an assistant field hockey coach for both high school and college levels. Hosting an all-star game with the Jersey Shore Lakewood Blue Claws minor league baseball team was among her favorite events. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in Commercial Recreation Administration brought her one step closer to her love of sports and coaching before a curve in the road changed her trajectory.
Sound advice from a supportive coach and the realization that coaching had shown her the impact teaching has on an individual who accomplishes a skill and meets their goal, as she says, “Led me back to education.” So, she pursued, and earned, her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
Bartolotti has always loved young children. She began working as a substitute teacher, which led to a position as a Kindergarten teacher, soon followed by her job as a second-grade teacher. Since then, Bartolotti has taught all areas of early education and loved them all.
When she and her family decided to move to South Carolina, she was hired as a first-grade teacher at Oak Grove Elementary. She loves the challenges that come with the younger students. “You have to grow those students the most in terms of reading levels. Watching them move from words to sentences, and from there to reading paragraphs and analyzing a book, is the best reward for me. Experiencing a child’s reading growth continues to amaze me.”
Bartolotti describes herself as a nurturer and loves that her students still want and need hugs. “We’re their strongest connection,” she says. She feels it is essential that the teacher sets the classroom tone, gives the students respect, and finds ways to connect with each student. Bartolotti stresses classroom community. “A teacher has to create that from the get-go,” she says. “If you have a strong teacher leading the charge and setting positive expectations, you can get a lot out of a first-grade student. I don’t mind challenging students.”
Bartolotti would love to grow the game of field hockey in South Carolina by starting a youth clinic involving younger children. Her future plans include continuing to inspire the youth–inside and outside the classroom–in any way she can. The Bartolottis have two daughters, Emma, a third grader, and Ava, a first grader.