Upstate history teacher announced as winner of 2025 SC Teacher of the Year
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - One of five South Carolina teachers was awarded 2025 South Carolina Teacher of the Year Thursday afternoon.
Braden Wilson, a history teacher from Anderson School District One, was announced as the winner.
Wilson will serve the community for one school year as an ambassador and spokesperson for the teaching profession in the Palmetto State. She also received $25,000.
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE) celebrated the award with “Gala in the Garden” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia. State Superintendent Ellen Weaver, Governor Henry McMaster and the winning teacher were in attendance.
The finalists for the Teacher of the Year award were:
- Blake Bishop from Ware Shoals School District 51
- Will Epps from Richland School District Two
- Katie Farr from Spartanburg District Five Schools
- Bekah Hamrick from Cherokee County School District
- Braden Wilson from Anderson School District One
Will Epps, a chemistry teacher at Blythewood High School, was the only finalist from the Midlands, as the remaining four teachers work in the Upstate. Epps was announced as a finalist during a surprise ceremony disguised as a routine fire drill.
The 2024 Teacher of the Year was Renee’ Atkinson of Horry County.
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