COLUMBIA, Culleoka Unit School has earned a distinction that reflects something real about the culture of that campus. ESS Tennessee, the statewide substitute teacher placement organization, has voted Culleoka Unit School its School of the Year, chosen by the substitute teachers themselves, the people who see the inside of more classrooms than almost anyone else in public education.
Substitute teachers occupy a unique vantage point in a school building. They move between classrooms, grade levels, and school cultures day after day, and they know within the first hour whether a school is a place that runs with warmth and intention or one that is simply going through the motions. For Culleoka to earn this recognition from that group speaks to something deliberate in how that school is led and how its students and permanent staff treat the people who show up to help. ESS Tennessee cited the way Culleoka's staff and students make substitutes feel appreciated and valued, noting that their support and dedication truly make a difference.
Culleoka Unit School serves students in the rural southwestern part of Maury County, a community with deep roots and a strong sense of place. It is the kind of school where many students' parents and grandparents walked the same halls, and where the relationship between the school and the surrounding community is close and long-standing. Awards like this one are a reflection not just of a building's administration but of the families and community that support it.
Maury County Public Schools shared the recognition on its official social media, and the congratulations are well-earned. Well done, Culleoka.