Osceola High alum gears up for first year as a PCS teacher

It was a little over five years ago when Madison Cossairt was sitting at her desk as a student at Osceola Fundamental High School, dreaming about a time when she would be the one standing in front of the class.

Now, after graduating from the University of South Florida and completing her internship at Mount Vernon Elementary School, Cossairt will welcome her first group of students into her “camping themed” classroom on the same campus where she interned.

“I love Mount Vernon. I love how small of a school it is and I love that it’s so community driven,” said Cossairt, who completed her internship with second graders but will have her own first grade class for the 2024-2025 school year. “I wanted to stay at the school however I could.”

Like many new teachers to Pinellas County Schools, Cossairt spent the weeks leading up to the start of school attending Embrace Pinellas, a week-long training and orientation program, as well as working through school-based professional development opportunities. But her favorite part was definitely setting up her classroom and thinking through her first-week curriculum.

“I feel like I’ve been dreaming about this week for as long as I can remember,” Cossairt said from her classroom. “I really want it to feel cozy. I want my kids to want to come and learn here.”

Cossairt attended Azalea Elementary School, Azalea and Madeira Beach Fundamental middle schools and graduated from Osceola. All the while, she knew she wanted to become a teacher and she knew she wanted to work for Pinellas County Schools.

“It was almost pre-determined,” Cossairt said. “I’ve always wanted to teach. I had wonderful relationships with my teachers, and I know how they left me feeling. I want to provide that for my students.”

One of Cossairt’s mentor teachers, Deanna Stryker, who is now a teacher at Westgate Elementary, has long served as an inspiration. They first met when Cossairt was a preschooler at Gingerbread and have stayed in touch ever since. Stryker is not at all surprised Cossairt became a teacher but said she would succeed in any profession.

“She is a teacher at heart,” Stryker said. “She genuinely cares about children. She cares about children beyond her classroom. She understands that these children will eventually become adults and become part of our society as a whole, and she takes that very seriously. She truly understands that every child can learn, and just needs to form solid connections with people in their lives.”

Osceola Principal Mike Bohnet recalls talking to Cossairt about her future career while she was a student and wasn’t surprised at all to learn the district had hired her.

“She’s a great person and was a great student,” Bohnet said while hosting the Embrace event this year. “We’re really lucky to get to keep her as a teacher.”

Cossairt says that because she is not only a teacher with Pinellas County but is also a product of the district, there is more of an emotional tie. She looks forward to growing under the leadership of principal Nikishia Dixon. Pinellas County Schools feels like home, she said.

“There’s a huge sense of pride,” Cossairt said. “I feel really supported and comfortable here and I look forward to becoming an integral part of the team.”