The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge announced its 10 recipients of the 2025 Dawbarn Education Awards this week.
For the past 31 years, the Community Foundation has honored community members for their significant impact on youth in the three local public school systems, Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro. The award comes with a $10,000 prize and a special ceremony in the fall.
“While all community foundations share many common traits, our founder (Buz Dawbarn) had the vision to create something truly extraordinary when he established the Dawbarn Education Awards,” said Dan Layman, CEO of the Community Foundation. “The employees of our public school districts do their absolute best with the resources available to them, and many go well beyond the expectations of their profession every day because they love seeing their students succeed. Through the Dawbarn Education Awards, we have the great privilege of honoring these individuals for that commitment and demonstrating our appreciation for them with a significant financial award. This program is one of the highlights of our year.”
The 2025 Dawbarn Education Awards recipients are:
- Russell Beverly, bus driver and custodian, Hugh K. Cassell Elementary School
- Pete Echols, band teacher, Kate Collins Middle School
- Paige Heizer, teacher, Riverheads Elementary School
- Blair Hoffman, agriscience teacher, S. Gordon Stewart Middle School
- Stacy Mooneyham, business/technology teacher, Shelburne Middle School
- Adreanna Sprouse, preschool teacher, Wayne Hills Preschool
- Jonathan Steck, social worker, Waynesboro High School
- Beth Thompson, secretary, Valley Academy Regional Alternative School
- Tyson Thompson, physical education teacher, Arthur R. Ware Elementary School
- Jonathan Wilson, band teacher, Staunton City Schools
Miriam Burrows, the director of educational programs at the Community Foundation, made surprise visits to inform this year’s 10 recipients in person.
“Buz Dawbarn believed that education was the foundation of our democracy, and that the people lifting up our kids every day deserve to be lifted up themselves,” Burrows said. “When we hand out a Dawbarn Education Award to a teacher, bus driver, or school secretary for their kindness, integrity, and service, we’re not just recognizing their hard work. We’re celebrating their humanity. We’re holding these people and these values up in front of our children – our students – and saying, ‘This is what success looks like. These are the qualities that we reward in our community.’”
The superintendents from the three school divisions joined Burrows on the surprise announcements to the recipients in their respective jurisdictions.
“I think it’s a thank you from our community – the broader community outside of our school division – for our employees, for the good work they do,” said Dr. Jeffrey Cassell, superintendent of Waynesboro City Schools. “I think the exciting part is that it goes from support staff to teachers and administrators. It recognizes the people in the community that support our youth.”
Dr. Eric Bond, superintendent of Augusta County Schools, is thankful to work in a school division that honors heroes making a difference in the lives of public school students.
“It’s a celebration of public education as a whole,” Bond said. “Our employees work so tirelessly to take care of our children, teach our children and love our children. This is a way our community reaches out and says, ‘We appreciate you. We think you guys are doing a great job, and we want to celebrate you.’ That’s rare. I’m not sure every community has that. We’re lucky in Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro to have the Dawbarn Education Awards.”
Garrett Smith, superintendent for Staunton City Schools, agreed.
“It just makes me so proud of all their accomplishments,” Smith said. “Our big theme this year is putting high expectations into practice. It’s about excellence for everybody, so to celebrate excellence among our teaching staff – it’s so important to us. For students to have these models of excellence within the school system—people they can interact with and look up to – it just makes a huge difference. Having great teachers is really just a game-changer.”
RECIPIENT BIOS
Russell Beverly
As head custodian at Hugh K. Cassell Elementary, Russell Beverly makes sure the school sparkles. The only thing that shines brighter is his personality.
Also a school bus driver, Beverly wears many hats for the school division. He routinely surpasses his job responsibilities to create special handshakes, build relationships, lend an attentive ear or offer a timely piece of advice.
“Mr. Beverly is just the epitome of service,” Hugh K. Cassell principal Shannon Brake said. “He goes above and beyond every day. He’s just an incredible person. He has a really special relationship with so many of our students. He’ll do anything for the people in this building, not just the students but the staff also.”
For Beverly, it all comes down to showing up every day and giving it his best.
“I feel like I don’t deserve this, because I’m just being me,” Beverly said. “I enjoy being around the students. It’s overwhelming to win this. It was quite a surprise for me. It’s emotional. I’m just an average person working for the school, and I enjoy the students.”
Pete Echols
As kids transition from Waynesboro’s elementary schools into sixth grade, the band room is becoming a safe space for an increasing number of numbers.
Not only has Pete Echols grown the band numerically, he’s had a profound impact on the students who sign up.
“He has built relationships, and he has built a program that has given a band family to our school,” said Marcy Nester, principal at Kate Collins Middle School. “He works with them developmentally from wherever they are. You can come in with prior knowledge. You can come in as a beginner. You can come in, and he will find your place. He will take you from where you are, and work with you and get to know you and your family. He’ll help you get to know your instrumental background and a love for music.”
Echols was appreciative of the award.
“Waynesboro’s such a great place to be,” Echols said. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else or teaching anywhere else. Music is a total passion of mine. Music is just a whole lifelong love for me. I love working with young people, and just showing them, ‘Hey, you can do something you maybe never thought you could.
“Band is so fun, because it’s an opportunity. It’s like a restart. You’re learning something brand new in sixth grade. It’s all about, ‘Hey, can we push ourselves and teach ourselves something we’ve never learned before in a community of other people?’ It’s so much fun to watch students learn. And it’s just a joy for me to be a part of that.”
Paige Heizer
Paige Heizer loves teaching.
She loves the kids in her third grade classroom.
And she loves the Riverheads school district.
Each day, Heizer gives her best to all three.
“Mrs. Heizer is an amazing teacher, and she is an even more amazing person,” Riverheads Elementary principal John Matherly said. “She takes on lots of responsibility here, not only for her students, but also for other staff. She’s the chair of our social committee. She drives the spirit and morale of everyone she works with.
“She’s worried about not just her kids, but her colleagues. She works hard to make this a wonderful place to be. Her room is warm and inviting, and she tries to make the whole school match that.”
There’s a saying in her classroom: Once a Heizer kiddo, always a Heizer kiddo.
She works hard to create a family atmosphere, and her colleagues, administrators, parents and guardians of her students notice.
“This is a huge shock,” Heizer said. “It’s just very humbling. It means a lot. I’ve said from the beginning that Riverheads has been my dream school. My family has gone there on both sides. Everybody knows everybody. This is where I’ve wanted to be. I didn’t go here, but I’ve spent the past 12 years investing and getting to know families I’ve taught. It’s just nice to know what I’ve put forth is making an impact.”
Blair Hoffman
Future Farmers of America started in Weyers Cave in 1925.
One hundred years later, Blair Hoffman, agriscience teacher at Gordon Stewart Middle School, is proudly carrying on the tradition.
The Augusta County teacher of the year in 2024, Hoffman works tirelessly to educate students in an incredibly relevant and important field to Augusta County.
“Blair just goes above and beyond,” Stewart Middle School principal Fonda Morris said. “When you think about what the Dawbarn award means, she embodies every aspect of that. She’s very deserving.”
Hoffman was emotional about the recognition.
“This is very overwhelming. I’m so appreciative of this,” she said. “I look at teaching, not just as a career, but as a lifestyle for me and my family. This is really impactful to me. I put my heart and soul into this program. I do it for my students. I try to be the kind of teacher I want my kids to have one day.”
Stacey Mooneyham
As a child, Stacey Mooneyham would practice being a teacher on her stuffed animals.
Later in life, when schoolwork didn’t always come easy, she let the teaching dream go.
Ultimately, Mooneyham left the world of computer programming and found her way in a classroom.
The business teacher at Shelburne Middle School, Mooneyham was Staunton’s teacher of the year in 2024.
“She’s everything to this building,” Shelburne Middle School principal Lisa Warren said. “She is passionate. She is caring. We call ourselves ‘The Herd,’ and she is a leader in ‘The Herd.’ She is the first to find balance in Staunton City School’s high expectations, but also making sure everyone is taken care of socially and emotionally. She is the first to make sure our kids have food for the weekend. She runs a program called Highlanders for Hope here, where we provide support to staff or students who need some extra love. She runs a coat closet for us. She’s just an amazing person.”
In addition to working with students each day, Mooneyham hopes kids can draw inspiration from her journey to the classroom.
Even if finding your life calling doesn’t happen immediately, it can still happen.
“It is such an incredible honor to receive a Dawbarn Award, to be recognized in this way still feels surreal,” Mooneyham said. “I am so thankful that I get to be at Shelburne, for some students during a really hard time in their lives and I get to love and encourage them daily. Middle School can be rough.
“At the heart of what I do is planting seeds to grow and prepare them for the next level, develop their soft skills, set them up for a promotion, applying and getting the job they want, and giving them the confidence to step out and follow their dreams.
“It is such a rewarding job. All of it – teaching the students, providing for them and supporting them. And it’s a pleasure to serve the Staunton community in this way.”
Adreana Sprouse
Adreana Sprouse, a preschool teacher at Wayne Hills Elementary School, was Waynesboro’s teacher of the year in 2024. According to Wayne Hills principal Sarah Ross, Sprouse’s ability to consistently go above and beyond illuminates the whole preschool.
“She’s such a great light,” Ross said. “She brought a great perspective of kindergarten. She knows what the kids need to be ready for. Also, she brings this huge, fun experiential learning side to her. She does eggs. She watches snails under water. There’s always a really fun project going on that her kids are excited about.”
For Sprouse, teaching is just the fulfillment of her life’s calling.
“It’s always amazing to be recognized by your peers,” Sprouse said. “It’s just a lovely way to celebrate the profession of teaching. I’ve always loved people. For little kids, it’s just so amazing to see their excitement about eggs, and the changing leaves; just to help them discover what life is about, and their interaction with it, and how they can be an integral part of it.”
Jonathan Steck
Whenever he’s needed, Jonathan Steck shows up.
A social worker at Waynesboro High School, students know that Steck is “their person,” whether they need to share good news or bad news.
“He’s probably the best adult I know,” said Bryan Stamm, principal at Waynesboro High School. “I think he’s a good example of how to be an educator, how to be an adult, how to be a man, and how to be a member of a community. He’s invaluable. He’s the ultimate wild card. He’ll counsel me if I’m having a rough day and need to bend somebody’s ear all the way down to our students that might be hitting life’s circumstances. He’s the ultimate community guy.”
Steck was overwhelmed with the award.
“This is an absolute shock,” he said. “This means everything to me. Lots of times social work is like a message in a bottle. You never know if you’re reaching the people you want to reach. When you hear that you are, it’s just an absolute fabulous and wonderful experience.”
Beth Thompson
Some students have a tougher time navigating school than others.
For the students who may need a little extra care, they’ll find it in the presence of Beth Thompson, secretary of Valley Academy Regional Alternative School.
The first face students see each day at the school is a friendly, welcoming one.
Thompson had decades of experience in school secretarial work. For C.J. Vandevander, principal at Valley Academy, Thompson’s intangibles were just as important.
“I needed someone who was organized with good management skills,” Vandevander said. “I also needed someone who could connect with this population of students, and somebody who could be more than just a secretary. Someone who could be a family member and a big sister to some of the staff members, a mom and grandmother outside of their extended family. Beth just checked all of those boxes.”
At school, she’s known as Mama Bear.
Perhaps no better analogy describes her care for the students.
“I’m honored – and quite honestly shocked and surprised – I never thought it would happen to somebody like me who does the work that I do,” Thompson said. “It’s beyond a pat on the back. I do this job with so much love. To be recognized for the work you do behind the scenes, it’s just really nice to have that recognition.”
Tyson Thompson
It takes a special educator to live up to the nickname Coach T.
Tyson Thompson, the physical education teacher at A.R. Ware Elementary, is just that person.
For decades, the moniker was associated with Hunter Talbott, a beloved physical education teacher at Shelburne Middle School.
Thompson, a fierce advocate for kids, is cut from the same cloth. The former college basketball standout finds his calling in a gymnasium.
It’s no longer filling up a stat sheet.
It’s now filling kids with hope.
“Not just in this building, but for Staunton as a whole, Tyson has had an impact for a very long time,” A.R. Ware principal Billy Brown said. “He is a friend, a confidant, a mentor and a safe space for kids, especially kids who may not have it in other places. He is a role model for all of our youth. He is just an amazing individual. I love him.”
Thompson prefers to work behind the scenes.
The award came as a huge surprise.
“It means a lot, man,” Thompson said. “It just means that all the time you put in, and the things a lot of people don’t see are appreciated. I just want kids to know they always have someone they can count on – someone in their corner – good, bad, whatever the case may be. Something school-related, or something outside of school, if they need someone to talk to, I’m always here for them.”
Jonathan Wilson
Staunton High School band teacher is also decent at math.
When an opportunity opened for him to move from the middle school to the high school, Wilson jumped at the opportunity.
He knew that either way he’d be working with the same kids.
In high school, however, he’d get them for four years compared to three years in middle school.
Wilson loves music and the students that much.
“Mr. Wilson has brought such a passion and a love for what he does, and that overflow to our students is contagious,” Staunton High School principal Tammy Lightner said. “The band numbers, and their passion and desire to be part of a program that is thriving is amazing. He has such a passion for what he does, and every student feels that. He gives them permission to be who they are as a musician as well as a student.”
Wilson was thrilled with gratitude at receiving a Dawbarn Education Award.
“I’m very surprised, and very grateful,” Wilson said. “I love music. I love people, and I get to do both of those at the same time. Staunton is really supportive of performing arts. The administration supports us. The community loves the arts, and I’m so thankful I got to start here eight years ago. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”
