A special signing-day ceremony took place on Monday, April 29, 2024, at USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Selby Auditorium to congratulate University of South Florida’s College of Education students signing contracts to become teachers in the School District of Manatee County.
Eight USF students walked the red carpet and participated in a signing ceremony. They are set to begin their careers in Manatee County classrooms upon graduation.
Principals or representatives from Tillman Elementary, Ballard Elementary, Bayshore Elementary and Southeast High Schools joined their new educators.
Their families filled the auditorium and could be seen beaming with pride while capturing the moment on cell phones.
Manatee Schools Television has highlights of the event:
The event had the same excitement as a high school student-athlete signing day, in which students declare their college intentions.
Among those who spoke included USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook, Superintendent Jason Wysong, USF College of Education Dean Anthony Rolle, SDMC Executive Director of Elementary Education Dr. Stephanie Callaway and Kaththea Johnson, a USF alum who serves as the Executive Director for School Improvement and Leadership Development for the school district.
The partnership between the school district and USF Sarasota-Manatee was established to recruit, develop and retain new educators during a time of a shortage in the profession.
The first signing day event was held in 2023.
To learn more, please visit USF Sarasota-Manatee's coverage at this link: https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-educator-signing-day.aspx
