ALVA, Fla. — A ceremony was held at the Alva School to celebrate a significant milestone – fifty years of teaching by Charlotte Gomez-Lippincott in the Lee County School District.
Gomez-Lippincott, currently an 8th-grade language arts teacher at the Alva School, reminisced about the early days of her career, stating, “I started out with a piece of chalk and no air conditioning.”
The seasoned educator spent 26 years at Tice Elementary and an additional period at Lehigh Elementary before joining the Alva School 21 years ago. She says one thing that never changed over all that time is her love for teaching.
“I have a plaque in my room that says, 'Love the life you live and live the life you love.' A student gave that to me - he told his mom, 'Ms. Lippincott tells us that all the time.' I’ve been blessed to live that life,” she shared.
Students expressed gratitude for Ms. Lippincott's passionate approach to teaching. One student commented, “She always inspires us to do better," while another added, "That’s Ms. Lippincott - she won’t sugarcoat you - she’ll be honest with you.”
Ms. Lippincott's impact extends beyond the classroom. Another student said, “When you go home - with Ms. Lippincott, you’re like 'Hey Mom, look what I learned from Ms. Lippincott today.' Because she makes every learning experience unique.”
So, to recognize a half-century of shaping young lives, the school named a garden outside of her classroom after her, and honored her at a ceremony on Thursday. Shari Abrams, assistant principal at the Alva School, said the idea is to celebrate the impact Ms. Lippincott continues to have.
“She is still absolutely on fire for education. She’s passionate about her students, and she loves them so well,” said Abrams.
Ms. Lippincott shared her gratitude, saying, "I’m grateful that the focus is on those of us who are continuing to teach."
