Dawana Whyte-Hug was chosen as one of three Runner-ups to the 2021 Newspaper in Education Teacher of the Year Award. She will be recognized during an online ceremony Thursday, April 21, 2022 6-8 p.m. (RSVP link) Dawana has retuned to Melrose this year, and this is her first year working as the Melrose Elementary Journalism teacher as part of the Journeys in Journalism magnet program.

“The Times NIE Teacher of the Year award is an annual award recognizing educators who use the Tampa Bay Times to enhance student learning and the learning environment.

Dawana Whyte-Hug was chosen as a Runner-Up for incorporating journalism into kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms at Pinellas County’s elementary journalism magnet school, Melrose Elementary.  Dawana always starts class by telling her students that journalists research, journalists inquire, and journalists tell stories. Her classroom activities are focused on the English/Language Arts standards for Kindergarten through fifth grade and reinforce what students are working on in their classrooms. Dawana uses all sections of the newspaper – news, features, editorials, photos, comics – to teach students in all grade levels.