Lillie F. Fitzgerald Excellence in Teaching Award
In honor of Mrs. Fitzgerald, her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Rodney and Margo Fitzgerald, have established the annual “Lillie F. Fitzgerald Excellence in Teaching Award.” This award is the highest honor at the local level to recognize and encourage teaching excellence in the classroom.
Award Overview
Dr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald present this annual award to teachers from either the Bradley County Schools or the Cleveland City Schools who are nominated by supervisors, peers, students, and parents. The Award is presented in August at the opening session of each school system.
Lillie Frank Fitzgerald taught English and speech at Bradley Central High School for 37 years. She was passionate about teaching, instilling into each student a love of learning and a belief that academic success was possible. She attended Carson Newman College and completed graduate work at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
During her teaching tenure at Bradley Central High School, she initiated a club for future teachers and an academic honors banquet recognizing students for their academic achievement. Mrs. Fitzgerald also developed the college preparatory English program.
Nominated by several of her former students, she was inducted into the Tennessee Teachers’ Hall of Fame located at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro in 1995. She was respected by her students for her love of and excellence in teaching. A former student, Toby McKenzie, endowed a scholarship at University of Tennessee College of Education which is given annually to an upper-class education major.
- Amount of Personal Award: $3,000 cash and a recognition plaque
- Amount of Professional Award for Classroom use: $4,000
- Restrictions on use of Personal Award: None
- Application Deadline: Annually, May 15
- Announcement of Award Recipient(s): At the opening session of each school system
Award Details
Nomination Process
Important Dates
Announcement of Award Recipient(s): At the opening session of each school system
Application Deadline: Annually, May 15
BCPEF Primary Contact
If you have questions that are not answered on the following pages, please reach out to Jennifer Hammonds at [email protected].
Steven Hawk, BCHS Educator, and Terry Esquinance, CMS Educator, received the 2025 Lillie F. Fitzgerald Excellence in Teaching Awards at the BCS and CCS Convocations.
Award Recipients
Jason Robinson – 2005
Barbara Brantley – 2006
Richard J. Shaw – 2007
Sylvia Coates – 2008
Luajean Bryan – 2009
Victoria Dawn Pritchard – 2010
Bridgett C. Burris – 2011
Christy Duncan – 2012
Dianna L. Johnson – 2013
Erin Hattabaugh – 2014
Jeremiah Pritchard, Sr. – 2015
Grace M. Dyrek – 2016
Abigail Duncan – 2017
Cecily Williams – 2018
Lindsey Smith Bell – 2019
Linda Lemons – 2019
Charis Reagan – 2021
Loes Riggins – 2021
Rodney Broadnax – 2022
Stacey Wielfaert – 2022
Denise George – 2023
Laura Anziano – 2024
Siema Swartzel – 2024
Steven Hawk – 2025
Terry Esquinance – 2025
Testimonials
Steven Hawk
"Receiving the Lillie F. Fitzgerald Award for Excellence in Teaching is one of the greatest honors of my career. I am truly humbled and deeply grateful to be recognized among the outstanding educators who have received this award before me—especially the legendary Lillie F. Fitzgerald, whose legacy continues to inspire us all. The Bradley Cleveland Public Education Foundation has played an invaluable role in my professional growth, and I am continually impressed by the Fitzgerald family’s commitment to honoring their mother’s legacy through their unwavering support and advocacy for public education in our community."
Terry Esquinance
"Receiving the Lily Fitzgerald Award has been one of the most meaningful moments in my teaching career. It reminded me that what we do in the classroom truly matters, that teaching is not just a job, but one of the most important callings there is.
This award has reignited my passion for teaching and reaffirmed why I chose this profession in the first place. It has inspired me to create a classroom full of readers who are not only excited to read, but eager to share what they’ve learned. Watching my students discover new ideas, connect with stories, and find joy in reading again has been a powerful reminder of the lasting impact we can have as educators.
Beyond the classroom, this recognition has reminded me that there are still people who see the heart and hard work teachers put into what we do, people who want us to feel seen, valued, and appreciated. For that, I’m deeply grateful."
Luajean Bryan
As a recipient of the Lillie Frank Fitzgerald Award, I can say that it was likely the highest honor I ever received. The Fitzgerald Award was based on first-hand knowledge of what I have accomplished with my students—the dedication to my classes my daily successes with teaching math at Walker Valley High School. To me, these are the greatest accomplishments of my life and the Fitzgerald Award acknowledged these as worthy.
As a result of this honor, I felt gratified and empowered. The world of opportunities that have opened before me have led me beyond the classroom and I want to continue to contribute to the field of education for at least another decade. I am writing this from Arlington, VA where I am attending my Ph.D. Residency and preparing for my dissertation.
I realize that honoring someone with an award that has an emotional attachment of your parent's name, or the name of a well-known, highly honored teacher by those who love and cherish her memory, is likely the greatest honor of all. It will never cease to both amaze and humble me.
Victoria Pritchard
This was the most rewarding award that I could have ever received. It was wonderful that people actually take notice of the things that I do every day and think that they are outstanding acts. I am totally honored to have received this award!
Mrs. Fitzgerald was my English teacher at Bradley Central High School. She was amazing! She wasn't an easy teacher, but she was definitely a caring teacher! Every day I knew that when I walked into her classroom in 'B-Hall' I would be welcomed, challenged and taught! I loved her! Sometimes, the smile that I received from her was the only smile that I received for that day!
She touched my life in a way that only God would be able to explain. I do not have the vocabulary! She was my hero! To receive an award in her honor is the best thing that has ever happened in my educational life!