Nikki Gates, Science Teacher at Central High School, has been chosen as the Teacher of the Month for September. Ms. Gates is in her first year as a teacher at Central. This is also her first year as a teacher. Ms. Gates stated that her favorite thing about working at Central is who she gets to spend her days with. She said that the staff and students were what made her job the best. When asked why she wanted to work at Central, Ms. Gates said that she grew up in a small town and was excited to be able to teach in a small town school. Ms. Gates has aspirations of becoming an administrator one day, but for right now, she wouldn’t change her position for anything in the world. She really loves seeing her students each day. Damon Barnhill, assistant principal, stated that “Ms. Gates in one of the best young teacher s that I have had the privilege of working with during my career. I look forward to seeing how great she can become in the next few years. Her work ethic and spirit in the building are awesome.” Ms. Assef, English Teacher, stated that “Ms. Gates is doing an excellent job as a first year teacher. She works tirelessly to make sure that she has great lessons for her students. Ms. Gates has great rapport with the students and with other teachers in the building. I am glad she has joined our school family. Ms. Gates was recognized as the Central High School Teacher of the Month for September and was presented with a certificate from the administration and a gift certificate from Beth’s Country Kitchen. Beth Knight, owner of Beth’s Country Kitchen, said that she was proud to be able to sponsor such awards for Central High School because she values the role of the school in the community.