District EL Coordinator and High School Curriculum Specialist
Taylor County School District
Campbellsville, KY
Subject(s) taught: English/Language Arts, English Language Learners Grade(s):
K,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11
At the time of the Award, Sydney Newton was:
Teacher
Taylor County High School
Campbellsville, KY
Subject(s) taught: English/Language Arts
Grade(s):
9,
10,
11
Biographical Information
Love, learning and leadership drive instruction for Taylor County High School teacher SydneyNewton. The beloved educatoris often the first smiling face students see in the morning as she welcomes bus riders to TCHS, and for many, is still there after school is done, mentoring students, sponsoring school clubs and incorporating data-driven practices into the school curriculum to ensure herstudents thrive.Newtonserves in a dual role, providing administrative support at Taylor County High School and coordinating English Language support in her district. Her dedication to Taylor County students is reflected in their academic performance.
As the EL Coordinator for her district, Newton organizes and coordinates all district testing, manages the individual learning plans for English Language Learners, and collaborates with principals and partners to extend ELL services during orientations and family outreach nights. She sets up translation services as needed and collaborates with teachers to offer support for this population of students.
As the curriculum specialist at TCHS, Newton supports teachers and offers feedback on planning and instruction. She is continuing to help implement a new ELA curriculum,mentors new educators, plans professional development opportunities,and coordinates the high schools' NTI days, after school, and summer school programs. Newton also works as her schools Digital Learning Coach, offering colleagues technological support.
Newton’s commitment to herdistrict extends beyond herdaily performance tasks, where she can be found sponsoring the Student Government Association and assistant coaching the Academic Team. The SGA collaborates with the TC Administration to manage spirit weeks, prom, winter formal, and graduation events.
Newton was a high school English Teacher for the first decade of her career. In her ELA class, Newton implements innovative AI approaches for students to “chat” with William Shakespeare while studying his play, “Julius Caesar”. Using the Socratic method for class debates stimulates engagement, higher-order thinking and ownership of learning. In her tenure, she taught English II, English IV, and AP Language and Composition.
Newton earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary and middle grades education from Lindsey Wilson University in 2016. At nearby Campbellsville University, she completed dual master’s degrees—Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in 2018 and P-12 school administration in 2022.
