Taylor Emanuel-Caspary of Aurelia M. Cole Academy has been named the newest Lake County Schools Rookie Teacher of the Year, a designation reserved for educators with three years of teaching experience or less. She received the honor at the annual Night of Stars hosted by the Education Foundation of Lake County at the Venetian Center in Leesburg on March 4, 2025.
Emanuel-Caspary has taught 3rd grade for two years. She said her greatest inspiration is her mother, who is also an elementary school teacher.
One of the more creative learning strategies that Emanuel-Caspary has introduced to her students is the “Starbooks Book Tasting Event” to her students. She decorated the collaborative learning space to resemble a cozy cafe with tablecloths, a backdrop and soft music. Students received a menu and were encouraged to “taste” different books by spending a few minutes at each station, reading the first chapter or a few pages.
The same night, the district also inducted two new members into the Lake County Schools Alumni Hall of Fame: Fred Griffin Jr., a 2005 graduate of Eustis High School, and James Simpson, a 1986 graduate of Mount Dora High School. Griffin is a community leader and advocate, and Simpson is a local business owner.
Additionally, Jessica Hopperton of Lake County Virtual School, was acknowledged as the district’s School-Related Employee of the Year. Three Volunteers of the Year were recognized as well: youth winner Reese Forbes from Lake Minneola High/Triangle Elementary; adult winner Angelica Carpenter of Cecil E. Gray Middle school, and senior winner Nancy Slaughter of Minneola Charter School. All four honors were first announced as a School Board meeting in December.
