“It means a lot to be chosen by my peers because I respect them,” said Jennifer Tibbitts, Lincoln’s selection for Teacher of the Year.

Tibbitts teaches Career Education, where she works with parents, agencies and kids with special needs. “I enjoy working with students and families to meet goals,” she said.

Tibbitts has been teaching for 14 years, eight at Lincoln and six at Wakulla High School, where she was named the 1996 Teacher of the Year.

Before becoming a teacher, Tibbitts was studying physical therapy and volunteering at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. “I thought their education was more important than their physical needs,” Tibbitts said, so she changed her major.

Grant has been teaching for four years, all of them at Lincoln.

Before Grant became a teacher, he worked as a freelance photographer and took pictures for publications like the New York Times, USA Today, the LA Times and Time magazine. He also worked in public relations designing brochures.

Grant teaches Communication Technology, where students learn graphic design, audio and “stuff you don’t learn but should.”

Dorothy Thagard, Employee of the Year, has worked at Lincoln 14 years. Currently, Principal Martha Bunch’s secretary, Thagard deals with the administration, the faculty and the community.

“I like working with all different people,” Thagard said, “it’s a lot of fun.”

Besides handling the principal’s paperwork and calendar, Thagard coordinates some school events, such as eighth-grade job shadowing and the extracurricular activities showcase.

“I’m the front office go-to for whatever anyone wants,” she said.

A skilled craftswoman, Thagard has helped make the school “a prettier place” with such projects as the satin tableclothes used for ceremonies, the graduation flag and the state championship banners in the gym.