09-05-2025
Excellent Educators: Newport News
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — WAVY-TV 10 will celebrate educators all month long!
This year, the Newport News Public School Division nominated three Excellent Educators, including Tanesha Koonce, Jessica Reynolds, and Llew Radford.
10 On Your Side's Kiahnna Patterson met up with Mrs. Koonce, the family and consumer sciences teacher and athletic director at Booker T. Washington Middle.
Koonce is the 2024-2025 Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Newport News Excellent Educator allows students to create a business plan
More information on the other two educators can be found below:
Jessica Reynolds
Jessica Reynolds has 18 years of teaching experience. She fosters two-way communication so that students can hold themselves accountable. She not only holds students to high standards academically, but also to high standards as leaders inside and outside the classroom. An example is her students reading with their peers in the Kindergarten Buddies program. Reynolds has served as a grade-level lead, a cooperating teacher and a teacher mentor, among other duties.
Reynolds, the 2024-2025 Newport News Public Schools Division-Wide Teacher of the Year.
Reynolds' mother and aunt are teachers. She attended Newport News schools and graduated from Heritage High School.
'For me, it's all about the kids,' Reynolds said in a NNPS News article. 'That's what makes me want to come to school, even with all the other stuff going on. They're my kids. They're my babies.'
Learn More about Reynolds here.
Llew Radford
Radford teaches Algebra I and geometry to ninth and tenth graders and serves as the lead math teacher at Heritage. He has nine years of teaching experience. Radford believes that developing relationships and making connections with students are essential to their growth and achievement. He uses teen culture, music terminology, and fashion – all to advance mathematical understanding and skills to prepare students for success.
Radford started his career in human services before becoming an educator. Challenges are something he embraces. Mr. Radford works to explore innovative ways to meet those challenges to prepare students for success. He ensures that his students have transferable life skills to successfully prepare them for the future.
Radford is the 2024-2025 Newport News Public Schools High School Teacher of the Year.
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