April 18, 2023
Greensboro, Ga. – The Greene County School System has named GCHS senior Sherlyn Camacho-Bustamente as the district’s 2023 Exemplary English Learner (EL) Student and Donna Lund as the GCSS 2023 Exemplary ESOL Teacher. Both will proceed to the statewide competition for Exemplary EL Student and ESOL Teacher.
Each year, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) selects an Exemplary EL Student and ESOL Teacher for the state from among those nominated by local school systems. This is the first year that Greene County has participated.
The nomination criteria for the Exemplary EL Student includes current enrollment in a public high school as a senior on track to graduate in 2023 with their class, current or former English Learner status, minimum 3.5 GPA, demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs or community service, and exemplary character, outstanding behavior, and regular attendance as locally defined.
The high schools in the Greene County School System were asked to submit student information for the qualifying areas on each student, and the students meeting the qualifications were forwarded to a selection committee with information from the qualifying areas and teacher recommendations. Sherlyn Camacho-Bustamente is a former EL who will graduate from GCHS this May. She has participated in the honors, AP, and dual enrollment programs throughout her high school career.
She is a member of several clubs, organizations, and sports teams and holds leadership roles on many of these. Additionally, Sherlyn volunteers as a translator for the Spanish-speaking community members. Greene County is extremely proud have Sherlyn represent us as our nomination for the GADOE Exemplary EL Student for 2023.
For the Exemplary ESOL Teacher, school administrators and ESOL teachers nominated the ESOL teacher whom they felt met the qualifications. The GaDOE nomination criteria describes an ESOL certified teacher currently teaching EL students who makes a positive impact in the school, community or lives of Els and demonstrates exemplary professionalism and leadership, such as peer mentoring and instructional leadership.
Mrs. Lund was nominated by her fellow ESOL teachers and administrators in the district. She is described as hard-working and dedicated. She understands her students’ data and collaborates well with content area teachers so that students receive the supports they need to succeed in the classroom.
Additionally, Mrs. Lund has strong professional relationships with the families of her students. She maintains constant communication with the families and ensures they receive information in a language they can understand. She also shares important social and familial information about the students with their content teachers so that students truly have a connected educational experience where they can grow and flourish.
“Sherlyn is a young lady who excels in academics, extracurricular, athletics, and leadership. She uses her gifts and talents to achieve high goals for herself and to support her fellow community members. Mrs. Lund is a teacher who loves working with her colleagues and the community to provide the best education possible for her students. The Greene County School System is honored to have both ladies represent us at the state level,” said Tara Thompson, GCSS EL Programs Coordinator.
