Matheny will participate in South Carolina Teaching Fellows program at Lander

Gaffney High seniors Kristin Matheny (left) and Keri Sarratt are among the county students selected to participate in the state's Teaching Fellows program this fall. Gaffney High student Kristin Matheny discovered she enjoyed teaching this year while working as an instructor at Julia's Dance Company.

Matheny, who has taken dance lessons since she was 5, will turn her new teaching hobby into a professional career after college with the help of a South Carolina Teaching Fellow scholarship.

She joins senior classmates Keri Sarratt and Cody Cash in receiving South Carolina Teaching Fellows worth up to $24,000 in scholarship money during the next four years.

"I have always enjoyed school. I love being around children," Matheny said. "This year I had the opportunity to teach at Julia's Dance Company, and I really enjoyed it. (Teaching Fellows) is a great program to be involved in. I plan to major in elementary education. I eventually want to become a principal."

Matheny was selected for the Teaching Fellow program at Lander College. Cash and Sarratt will participate in the Advanced Teacher Education program at USC-Upstate.

They are among 200 high school seniors who were awarded the fellowships based on their academics, school and community activities and their interest in becoming teachers. More than 700 students statewide applied for the Teaching Fellow program supervised by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA) at Winthrop University.

Both Matheny and Sarratt have seen their interest in teaching grow while participating in the Gaffney High Teacher Cadet program this school year. Teacher Cadet is a statewide program which allows students to learn about the teaching profession while in high school and spend time in classrooms.

"I really decided this year that I wanted to be a teacher," said Sarratt, who will play softball at USC-Upstate this fall. "I plan to teach in elementary or high school. The interview for the Teaching Fellows was really the hardest part. I was really excited once I did get it."

High school students selected for the Teaching Fellows program will attend a state orientation June 10 in Columbia. They will have a chance to participate in summer enrichment activities and spend time involved in community service with organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and after-school programs.

Gaffney High graduate Jennifer Jolly is a sophomore in the Teaching Fellows program at Winthrop University. She left Monday to spend a couple of weeks teaching English in the Dominican Republic.

The Gaffney High Teacher Cadet class and Renee Love's Spanish class collected three boxes of school supplies for Jolly to take to the Dominican Republican.

"Teaching Fellows is a great program for students who want to become a teacher," Gaffney High Teacher Cadet instructor Elizabeth Ireton said. "There are a lot of good opportunities for students to develop their teaching skills and become involved in community service while in the program."