TIFTON — Teacher Maria Pichardo received high praise from the members of the county Board of Education at their most recent meeting for going above and beyond as a teacher, both in the classroom and her greater community.

Board members presented the English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher with a Beyond the T Award Nov. 14 in honor of her work ethic and enthusiasm for education.

In his letter of recommendation for Pichardo to receive the award, Dr. Michael Slaven, assistant superintendent of the Tift County Schools Beyond the Core program, praised her dedication to her teaching, remarking that in her time as a TCS teacher, she was always on the lookout for an opportunity to work and educate.

Slaven noted that Pichardo, a certified teacher of 15 years from Nicaragua, had joined the school system’s community as part of its migrant education program as a student in the Adult English course.

Since then, however, she has gone on to lead the very same course, and has transitioned from the migrant program into becoming an ESOL teacher, now splitting her time and teaching between Northside Middle School and Tift County High School.

Slaven also reported that Pichardo and her husband Sergio have shown their support for migrant programs further by providing education to migrant youths throughout the community in their spare time, which has earned recognition from the Migrant Department in the Georgia Department of Education.

Board members were proud to present Pichardo with her award, thanking her for her boundless dedication to teaching.