Brevard Educators Tonia Groff, Gloria McCullough Nominated for National LifeChanger Award

Groff was recognized for her leadership, McCullough for inspiring students

BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Bayside High School Brevard Learners Achieving Successful Transition (B.L.A.S.T.) program teachers Tonia Groff and Gloria McCullough have been nominated for the 2021-2022 National LifeChanger of the Year award.

Sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation, LifeChanger of the Year recognizes and rewards the very best K-12 educators and school district employees across the United States who are making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership.

Both Groff and McCullough were nominated by Sean Adams, the parent of a student.

Groff was recognized for her leadership and dedication. For the past eight years, she has worked in Brevard Schools to create a better world for students with various cognitive deficits. In the B.L.A.S.T. program, Groff helps her students be the best possible versions of themselves.

She has been instrumental in building the program from the ground up as the standard bearer for sustained excellence that similar programs strive to attain.

One such way that she has demonstrated her leadership is by working with her co-teacher and student team to create a business that all students have a hand in building, sustaining, and growing. This endeavor is making and selling handmade soaps, lotions and bath bombs.

These products are sold at local craft fairs on the weekends, and the income is used to help fund various activities that benefit the entire class, as well as making the B.L.A.S.T. program financially self-sufficient.

“Mrs. Groff is always looking at people’s unique abilities, not their disabilities that most see,” said said Adams. “It’s obvious to me that this is what Mrs. Groff was meant to do: help others. She helps them to see what they can be and what their abilities are, not their disabilities. She always looks for something that they can be successful at. ‘No matter what, there’s something that everybody can be successful at,’ is her motto.

“You just need to find what they’re good at and make that their success. Don’t look at the bad, look at the good. Don’t look at the challenges that they have, look at the successes that they have,” said Adams.

McCullough was recognized for inspiring students through her great enthusiasm and creativity. After growing up in Colombia in a family of six children, including two with special needs, she was inspired to help others. In addition to establishing a student-driven business, the B.L.A.S.T. program offers community-based instruction (CBI) for special education students who need instruction in functional and life skills.

CBI provides natural opportunities for students to practice independent living skills. McCullough has created partnerships with various local businesses that give her students an opportunity to acquire job skills that will empower them to join the workforce. Many of those businesses have hired the students based on the time they spent with McCullough.

“Mrs. McCullough has been an asset, not only to her employer, but to her students, their families, her community, and her coworkers,” said Adams. “Mrs. McCullough has made a difference in so many lives with her encouragement and her inspiration.”

About LifeChanger of the Year: Each school year, LifeChanger of the Year receives hundreds of nominations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Eighteen individual LifeChanger of the Year awards will be given during the 2021-2022 school year.

(1) Grand Prize Winner – will receive $10,000 to be shared with their school/district.

(4) Grand Prize Finalists – will receive $5,000 to be shared with their school/district.

(10) LifeChanger Award Winners – will receive $3,000 to be shared with their school/district.

(1) Spirit Award Winner – This award is given to the nominee whose community demonstrates the most support for their
nomination. The winner will receive $5,000 to be shared with their school/district.

(1) Capstone Award Winner – This award is given to a nominee retiring at the end of the 2020-21 school
year. The winner will receive $3,000 to be shared with their school or district.

(1) Spotlight Award Winner – This award is given to a nominee in a specific discipline each year. For 2021-22, the Spotlight
Award will be given to a school nurse. The winner will receive $5,000 to be shared with their school or district.

Winners are chosen by a selection committee comprised of former winners and education professionals, and will be announced in early 2022. Nominees must be K-12 teachers or school district employees.

To be considered for an award, nominees must:

■ Make a positive impact in the lives of students

■ Enhance their school or district’s atmosphere, culture and pride

■ Demonstrate exemplary leadership at the school and/or district level

■ Possess a proven record of professional excellence

■ Show commitment to building a nurturing environment that supports learning

■ Adhere to the highest moral and ethical standards

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