Tabitha Barnes, a social studies teacher at Ocean Bay Middle School, was named the 2027 Horry County Schools Rookie Teacher of the Year. 

Barnes was celebrated at an event Thursday, March 26, honoring all five finalists for the award, with Superintendent Clifford Jones and members of the Horry County Board of Education there to celebrate all of the finalists.

The four other finalists were Kelsey Tinker of Carolina Forest High, Marcelous Livingston of North Myrtle Beach High, Zachary Anderson of Seaside Elementary, and Jenny Pena of St. James Intermediate.

“I can not believe this is happening, nor can I explain how happy I am to be here with you all tonight,” Barnes said upon receiving the award. “To say this process has been overwhelming… Simply being nominated among such incredible educators is deeply humbling. And to be quite honest, it feels super surreal.”

She explained that her desire to teach stemmed from seeing her two children’s learning experiences.

“When I first started this journey, I did it for my own two children,” Barnes said. “They couldn’t be more different — one who navigates the world of eduction with ease, and one who is deaf and hard or hearing and has to fight for every inch of ground of growth he makes. Seeing that gap first hand is what drove me into this profession.”

Barnes described a quote from Aristotle — “To educate the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” — as one of the major pillars of her teaching experience.

Jones, who announced Barnes as the winner, celebrated her hard work at Ocean Bay Middle.

“Your passions and what you are for your students are truly meaningful, and they were reflected in the words of the students,” Jones said. “It’s hard to get 8th-graders sometimes to say ‘fun and hard work’ is what they respect about their teacher. So, that was really awesome to hear.”

The HCS Rookie Teacher of the Year program is designed to recognize and celebrate teachers within the first three years of their careers and improve teacher retention by celebrating success early in their careers.