Please join us in congratulating Lisa Fales, Waycross Middle School’s Certified Golden Achievement Award Winner, and Dana Taylor, the school’s Classified Golden Achievement Award Winner, for May 2025. When presenting the awards, Principal David Hitt shared the following words of recognition:
"This month’s Golden Achievement Award recipient for the certified staff is Mrs. Lisa Fales at Waycross Middle School. Mrs. Fales teaches 8th grade gifted and co-taught Math, 9th grade Algebra 1, and is our Math Department Chair. Mrs. Fales has the additional responsibility of leading our afterschool tutoring program. This sounds like a lot of work, and it is. Mrs. Fales excelled in every aspect of these jobs throughout the year. Her leadership of our math department through the adoption of new standards and building new units was critical to our district and to math instruction at both middle schools. And the work she has done in the classroom is exceptional. A few weeks ago, we were honored by the state superintendent, Mr. Richard Woods, with a mathematics Banner for excellence in math achievement. The award was based on the scores of the 17 students who had 9th grade Algebra 1 with Mrs. Fales – all of them scored proficient or higher. In fact, 15 of the 17 scored at the distinguished level. And her growth numbers for all students were just as impressive – 62% had high growth and 29% had typical growth. Ladies and Gentlemen, the lady can teach!
"Mrs. Fales is well-respected by all staff and faculty and is a valuable teacher-leader in our building. There is no doubt that this month’s recipient of the Golden Achievement Award, Mrs. Lisa Fales, truly exemplifies what it means to be a Waycross Middle Bulldog. She is a very caring person who loves her job and our school community and continues to be a key asset to the Waycross Middle family. Mrs. Lisa Fales!
"This month’s Golden Achievement Award recipient for classified staff is Mrs. Dana Taylor at Waycross Middle School. There are several behind-the-scenes jobs in a school that are rarely noticed unless something goes wrong. As the cafeteria manager, Mrs. Taylor’s job is definitely one of those jobs. And honestly, in my fifteen years at Waycross Middle, the only thing I can remember going wrong is a pipe bursting in the ceiling during summer break, and I am pretty sure there was nothing Dana could have done about that!
"As a principal, I cannot begin to tell how much it means to have someone who shows up every day, finds a way to make the mission happen, and does so with grace and excellence. Mrs. Taylor is one of those people. And in our community, the meals Dana and her staff prepare each day are often the only real meals several of our students will get. That is an incredible responsibility, and Mrs. Taylor and her ladies make it happen every school day, every year. There is no doubt that this month’s recipient of the Golden Achievement Award, Mrs. Dana Taylor, truly exemplifies what it means to be a Waycross Middle Bulldog. She is a very caring person who loves her job and makes a positive difference in the lives of our students every day. Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Dana Taylor!"
Thank you, Mrs. Fales and Mrs. Taylor, for going above and beyond. Mrs Fales is pictured with Supt. Barber, Principal Hitt, and Board Member Edward Tyre. Mrs. Taylor was unable to join us for the meeting.