2020 News Stories

81 College of Education students receive full-time teaching offers from Hillsborough County Public Schools

students in regalia outside of Sessums Elementary

students Zachary Leshnov, Xandra Aquino-Sanchez, Jessica Alvarez and Kasey Carney celebrate their graduation outside of Sessums Elementary. All four students were offered full-time teaching positions at Sessums by Hillsborough County Public Schools.

TAMPA, Fla. (May 8, 2020) — Eighty-one students graduating from the USF College of Education’s teacher preparation programs this semester have received full-time teaching offers from Hillsborough County Public Schools.
 
“Hillsborough Schools is very excited about our renewed partnership with the University of South Florida through our intern placements,” said Marie E. Whelan, EdD, Chief Human Resources Officer for Hillsborough Schools. “Our thoughtful, collaborative partnership has resulted in offers of employment for these recent graduates of the USF College of Education. Our goal is to ensure every classroom is staffed with a high quality educator. We are confident the College of Education graduates from USF are highly qualified and skilled and will assist us to accelerate Hillsborough in the 2020-21 school year.”
 
Of the 81 new graduates who will be teaching in the Hillsborough County school district in the Fall, 25 of them will be teaching at Achievement Schools, a group of schools within the district that have the highest needs. Achievement Schools are selected by the school district and are supported with an intense focus of resources and effort.
 
The list of students who received offers from the district and the schools they will be teaching at in the 2020-21 school year is below.

  • Kayla Algeo — Freedom High School
  • Erin Altier — Wharton High School
  • Jessica Alvarez — Sessums Elementary School
  • Xandra Aquino-Sanchez — Sessums Elementary School
  • Tanya Barrett Trice — Armwood High School*
  • Luisa Beesley — Leto High School
  • Bryanna Belen — Pizzo Elementary School*
  • Melissa Bernal — Crestwood Elementary School
  • Abigail Boyce — Sullivan Elementary School*
  • Tia Brown — McDonald Elementary School*
  • Ashley Buttner — Mort Community School*
  • Estephany Cafferata — Armwood High School*
  • Kasey Carney — Sessums Elementary School
  • Christopher Carney — Webb Middle School
  • Julie Chase — Sumner High School
  • Jamya Clark — Lamb Elementary School
  • Ryan Coull — Strawberry Crest High School
  • Che Counce — Ippolito Elementary School*
  • Melissa DiMartino — Belmont Elementary School
  • Grace Denhoff — Belmont Elementary School
  • Ashley DePaulo — Miles Elementary School*
  • Crystal Droor — Wharton High School
  • Annabell Drulia — Summerfield Elementary School
  • Danielle Estrada — Miles Elementary School*
  • Reagan Etherton — Crestwood Elementary School
  • Diana Fonseca — Rampello K-8 School
  • Ashanti Forsythe — Wharton High School
  • Kasandra Fowler — Crestwood Elementary School
  • Melanie Galligan — Symmes Elementary School
  • Antonia Garcia — Pizzo Elementary School*
  • Alyson Gierlach — Bryan Elementary School
  • Stephen Golder — Armwood High School*
  • Grace Haara — Schwarzkopf Elementary School
  • Ashley Hagewood — Foster Elementary School*
  • Tara Himes — Robles Elementary School*
  • Katharine Hoskinson — Leto High School
  • Jessica Jacobs — Ballast Point Elementary School
  • Michael Jehl — Tomlin Middle School
  • Skye Jenkins — Shields Middle School*
  • Shayna Jones — Mort Community School*
  • Stacy Kelley - Alexander Elementary School
  • Paige Kramer — Lomax Elementary School
  • Amy Laks — Belmont Elementary School
  • Monica Lawler — Williams Middle Magnet School
  • Zachary Leshnov — Sessums Elementary School
  • Meagan Letcher — Belmont Elementary School
  • Trinity Lim — Jackson Elementary School*
  • Kory Love — Strawberry Crest High School
  • Shandi Lowry — Robles Elementary School*
  • Brianna Lozano — Mort Community School*
  • Alisha McLemore — Young Middle Magnet School
  • Annabell Mesa — Cannella Elementary School
  • Marissa Montgomery — Belmont Elementary School
  • Linda Morales — Oak Grove Elementary School
  • Megan Morgan — Symmes Elementary School
  • Jessica Navarro — Sickles High School
  • Vanessa Nuno — Spoto High School*
  • Alison Osborne — Anderson Elementary School
  • Lauren Osenton — Nelson Elementary School
  • Christine Otero — Carrollwood Elementary School
  • Alexa Ottoman — Gaither High School
  • Jesse Peck — Colson Elementary School
  • Alexandra Plante — Gaither High School
  • My Duyen Pham — Armwood High School*
  • Jacquelyn Redrup — Bing Elementary School
  • Samantha Rey — Pizzo Elementary School*
  • Delaney Richards — Sumner High School
  • Katelyn Rosenblum — Lowry Elementary School
  • Casey Sparvero — Boyette Springs Elementary School
  • Kelsey Stewart — Rampello K-8 School
  • Hillary Stoneburg — Seffner Elementary School
  • Megan Swanson — East Bay High School
  • Miranda Tidwell — Davidsen Middle School
  • D’enai Thompson — Shaw Elementary School*
  • Elise Tomberlin — Seffner Elementary School
  • Haley Tompkins — Gibsonton Elementary School*
  • Kristen Velardi — Summerfield Elementary School
  • Karsen Vosler — Pizzo Elementary School*
  • Crystal Watters-Kneiss — Chiles Elementary School
  • Alexandria Wilson — Belmont Elementary School
  • Samantha Wolfe — Clair Mel Elementary School*

* = Hillsborough Schools Achievement School
 
“The USF College of Education is committed to preparing great teachers, and this cannot be accomplished without great university-district partnerships,” said Robert C. Knoeppel, PhD, professor and dean of the College of Education. “Our focus this year has been to renew and strengthen our relationship with the local school districts, particularly Hillsborough Schools. We greatly appreciate the opportunity for our students to complete their internship experiences in our home county and are thrilled that Hillsborough Schools has recruited and employed so many of our students. We look forward to growing this relationship and to supporting our graduates as they transition to become professional educators.”