The skies may have been overcast and dreary over Golfcrest Elementary School, but the mood inside the school’s cafeteria was decidedly brighter.

Students waited with colorful signs, balloons framed the stage, and decorations filled the tables as fifth-grade science teacher Ruth Giles entered the room.

“What’s going on? I’m in shock,” Giles said as she passed through the lines of cafeteria tables, headed toward Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan on the other side of the room. Giles, who has been with Golfcrest Elementary for three years, was named the Sterling McCall Teacher of the Month for February, and this socially distanced party was in honor of her.

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