Preparing students for work
Stevens told WTOC that helping students prepare for employment is central to her teaching.
"It's so important because we have to get them ready for the workplace," Stevens said. "With technologies going real fast and AI taking over, they need to know the aspect of finances that way it will save them a lot of headaches and also heartaches."
Financial literacy is also a graduation requirement in Georgia. Senate Bill 220, passed during the 2022 legislative session, requires students to complete at least a half-credit financial literacy course in 11th or 12th grade, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. The Georgia Department of Education identifies Personal Finance & Economics (45.061) as a course that meets that requirement.
Banking experience on campus
Students at Woodville-Tompkins can also gain banking experience at school. A March 2024 Connect Savannah profile described an on-campus Members First Credit Union branch that employs students and serves both students and staff.
The profile featured a senior who had completed pathways in marketing, accounting, and banking and finance. The credit union offered the student a full-time teller position while the student was planning to attend Georgia Southern.
The same report described Woodville-Tompkins Technical & Career High School as a Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Choice School with 691 students at the time. That enrollment included 22 PreK students who worked with high school students in the early childhood education pathway.
Alongside its Business Department, the school's career pathways included hospitality/tourism, automotive, cosmetology, culinary arts, welding, aviation, engineering/robotics/manufacturing and health sciences.
The school's record
As of the March 2024 profile, Woodville-Tompkins had reported a 100% graduation rate for every graduating class since its first in 2015, with one exception: the rate was 99% in 2016. Georgia's statewide graduation rates ranged from 79% to 84% over those years.
Connect Savannah also reported that 93% of the school's students had earned at least one industry certification, while 97% had AP or dual enrollment credits.
A teacher students will remember
For Stevens, preparation for life after school goes hand in hand with showing students that she cares about them. She said her first- and third-grade teachers changed her life, and she hopes to leave a similarly lasting impression.
"So I want them to remember me as a person but also as a person that wanted the best for them as well," she said.
WTOC featured Stevens in its Top Teacher coverage. According to a May 2022 Georgia Ports Authority article, the program recognizes commitment to teaching excellence. Nominees are evaluated on sharing a love of learning, civic and/or volunteer activities, and serving as a positive role model. Students, parents and colleagues submitted that year's nominations. The authority said its partnership with WTOC to recognize local educators had lasted more than 20 years.
Stevens expressed confidence in the students she called "Woodville scholars."
"They are brilliant. They are called Woodville scholars. They are on their way to greatness," she said. "I believe every gift in here right now is going to make room for them. They are going to do well."
