May 5, 2022

Among the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation’s recently released list of top three Muscogee County School District Teacher of the Year nominees are two Columbus State University alumni: Vanessa Ellis ’11 and Gena Davis ’05. They will find out on Thursday, May 5 at the school district’s annual gala which of the three will receive the district’s top billing as the 2022 MCSD Teacher of the Year.

The event, to be held at the at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center, is expected crowd of over 1,100 supporters of excellence in education.

Vanessa Ellis ’11, ’19

Ellis, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Veterans Memorial Middle School, is a two-time CSU graduate. She earned a bachelor’s in history education in 2011 before returning to earn her master’s in history education, which she did in 2019. A member of the Phi Alpha Theta Historical Honors Society, she received the 2010-11 College of Education and Health Professions Award for Outstanding Undergraduate in Social Science Education and the 2018 Social Science Education Graduate Award from the Department of Teacher Education. She is also the recipient of the CSU Alumni Association’s 2012-13 Outstanding Alumna Award.

Ellis knew from a young age that she wanted to be a teacher. She was always there to help her younger brothers with their homework. Over the summer, her family would return home to their native Jamaica, where she worked with local children at Vacation Bible School. By the time she made it to CSU, she had already developed a reputation for being a natural teacher.

“Growing up, my friends could always turn to me and say, ‘Hey, Vanessa, could you explain this?’” Ellis said. “And I just had this innate ability to break things down for people and help them understand it. So, all of these things just helped me realize that teaching was what I was born to do with my life.”

Ellis grew up as a student in the Muscogee County School District and credits her teachers for inspiring her in her journey to her own classroom.

“I had amazing teachers,” Ellis recalled. “I went to Dawson Elementary, Rothschild Middle School, and Jordan Vocational High School, so I am a product of public schools. I just want to do for my students what so many teachers did for me—providea space to have fun, take risks, learn meaningful lessons that have really helped me and set me up for success beyond the classroom.”

One teacher that left an indelible impression on Ellis is Dr. Victor Salazar, the director of the Columbus State’s Ivey Center for the Cultural Approach to History. She acknowledges him as the professor who taught her the cultural approach to history, which is a framework in which students study history through the lenses of politics, society, economics, intellectual developments, religion, and art.

“Vanessa is the consummate professional,” said Salazar. “I am especially awed by her ability to transport listeners to faraway times and places and gethem to connect with the past as if it were today. Always observing, analyzing, and imagining—besides having high expectations of her students—she also has the power to draw out the best in everyone. She is what every student would want his or her teacher to be.” 

Ellis also credits her success to the symbiotic relationship between Columbus State University and the Muscogee County School District.

“What is really awesome about CSU and its teacher preparation program is that they have a relationship with and a connection to the Muscogee County School District,” said Ellis. “Young aspiring teachers always have the support of not only the college, but the schools that they will most likely feed into. I am still coming back to CSU for workshops and lectures, and I have all these developmental opportunities to grow professionally right here at home. So, know that when you leave CSU, you will be supported and you will come into the school system with that continuing support.”

But Ellis makes it quite clear that, in her case, she never truly left CSU.

“I am still very much connected to CSU,” she emphasized. “Things that I have done and that I continue to do. When we had the gubernatorial debates at CSU back in 2018, I brought my students. They came and they saw politics and being an engaged citizen in the making. CSU has brought Native American nations to campus, like the Muscogee Creek Nation that I teach about, so my students got to hear from real Native Americans about their experiences, and opportunities like that really bring learning to life. So, I didn’t just graduate from CSU and say, ‘Well, that’s it, time to call it a day!’ CSU is still a staple in my life.”

Gena Davis ’05, ’11

Another two-time CSU alumna to make the top three is Gena Davis, a K-5 special education teacher at Dimon Magnet Academy. Davis graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2005. She later returned to CSU and, in 2011, earned her master’s of education in special education while also earning her teaching certificate.

Davis’ journey to becoming a teacher traveled an uncommon path. She knew that she wanted to work with children and to help them navigate the many difficulties that youth today face, but she never intended on being a general education teacher. She attended a CSU graduate program information session where counseling and special education were among graduate options discussed.

“I did not think being a teacher was my calling,” admitted Davis. “I thought at first that I wanted to be a school counselor. But then hearing about the impact that special education teachers make, and the great need for more, I knew that was where I was supposed to be. Students with special education services learn in different ways, but can achieve just as much as their peers. They deserve teachers who maintain high expectations for their learning, but also work hard to find what works for each of them. I wanted to be someone who was able to make a difference in the lives of these wonderful students.”

In the classroom, Davis strives to not only educate her students, but to inspire them to believe in themselves. This drive is a personal one for her.

“I try very hard in my classroom to ensure that all of my students accept themselves for who they are, and not compare themselves to others,” said Davis. “I have often had that same type of negative self-talk in my own life, so I want to use my experience to make a change in the lives of others. It is common for the students I teach to possibly feel ‘different’, but I strive to foster in them an environment of acceptance.”

As an CSU undergrad, Davis was active with the Delta Zeta sorority. In fact, she credits Delta Zeta with helping her to gain confidence and come out of her shell.

“I have always been an extremely shy person,” Davis recalled, “but I was able to make so much growth as a person. I met my future husband at a sorority/fraternity mixer, which has always been a fun story to tell!”

Equally formative in Davis’ personal and professional growth was being a part of the Sociology Department and studying with Dr. Richard Newtson, to whom she credits much of her love for the field of sociology. Newton remembers his time with Davis fondly.

“I remember Gena as having this wonderfully ‘bubbly’ personality,” Newton recollected. “I also remember her as someone I could count on to follow through on getting a task done. She was super responsible and a go-getter as she tackled tasks associated with class research. She was an excellent student in class, she almost always had a smile on her face, and most importantly laughed at the appropriate time after me making a joke in my urban legends class.”

“I participated in a study abroad trip to London in the summer of 2002, which were the best five weeks of my life,” Davis recalled of her experience studying abroad. “I still think of that trip often, and am so thankful I had the ability to have this life changing experience because of CSU.”

Davis is also quick to acknowledge how pivotal the role of the Special Education program played in her successful teaching career.

“The faculty in the program help set up their students for success,” said Davis. “Colleagues I studied with have gone on to become leaders in their districts. There are several principals, former teachers of the year, and members of district leadership teams. The faculty had a strong grasp on the issues faced by current teachers and helped prepare us to step into a classroom environment and be the kind of teachers our students deserve. Without CSU, I would not be where I am today!”

Teacher Education at Columbus State

According to the Muscogee County School District, more than half of the system’s teachers, counselors and administrators are Columbus State graduates. 

“I thank the leadership and faculty of our College of Education and Health Professions for the quality academic experience that makes a CSU graduate in such high demand,” CSU President Chris Markwood recently said at the system’s Teacher of the Year Recognition Breakfast. “To [Superintendent] Dr. [David] Lewis and the entire Muscogee County School District, I say congratulations for being an exemplar and pioneer in our state with regard to community-university partnerships.”

At the heart of that partnership is the “CSU Teaching Contract Guarantee,” established in 2019. The contract partnership—the first-of-its-kind in Georgia—guarantees a teaching contract in the Muscogee County School District to every qualified teacher education graduate.

Teacher education programs at Columbus State University are offered through the Department of Teacher Education, Leadership and Counseling in the College of Education and Health Professions. Degree offerings span the gamut of educational roles and range from bachelor’s and master’s degrees to educational specialist and doctoral degrees—with a variety of endorsements and certificates also available.