photo by: Joselyn King

Ohio County Schools honors its Teacher of the Year, Tiffany Barnes of Wheeling Middle School, and its Service Personnel of the Year, Ann Senkbeil, executive secretary to the assistant superintendent, during Monday’s board of education meeting.

WHEELING — Ohio County Schools celebrated its top teachers and service personnel for the 2024-25 school year at Monday night’s board of education meeting.

Tiffany Barnes, a special education teacher at Wheeling Middle School, was announced as Teacher of the Year for the current term. Also, Ann Senkbeil, executive secretary to the assistant superintendent, was tapped as Service Personnel of the Year.

Each will be Ohio County Schools’ nominees for top honors at the state level when the West Virginia Department of Education selects its Teacher of the Year and Service Personnel of the Year winners next fall.

“Both of these women embody everything it means to be all-in for kids,” Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller said.

Barnes began her career in Ohio County Schools five years ago as a substitute aide and cook. She went on to earn her teaching certification, and now teaches full time in the autism classroom at Wheeling Middle School.

“No one cares more or works harder for students,” said Wheeling Middle School principal Rich McCardle. “That’s not just here at Wheeling Middle School, that’s anywhere.”

Karin Butyn, director of public relations for Ohio County Schools, added Barnes “leans into everything she does.”

“The community knows her as a veteran and for running the (Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic)in full gear to honor the fallen,” Butyn said. “Our schools simply know her as ‘Miss Tiff.’

“She’s subbed, worked as a cook and aide, and ultimately earned her teacher certification. She’s been changing lives since day one. Every person that’s interacted with her is better because of it.”

Senkbeil has been with Ohio County Schools since 2015, and has worked at a variety of jobs. Most recently she has served as the executive secretary for Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones.

“Ann makes every day better. She’s meticulous. She ensures that so many processes run smoothly, and she always does it with other people at the center of her thought process,” Jones said.

Senkbeil has taken on coaching robotics at Wheeling Middle School, and this year her team qualified for the state tournament.

“Ms. Senkbeil has become an integral and valued part of the OCS Robotics team,” said JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools. “While she has worked with us from the beginning of the program by assisting with purchase orders and other behind the scenes activities, she has always been willing to jump in and help whenever we needed a hand.

“She traveled to Dallas for the VEX World Championships as a chaperone two years ago. And when we had a coaching vacancy that we were struggling to fill, she took the leap into the world of working directly with students on the program’s frontline as a coach for Wheeling Middle School.”

Nominees for teacher and service personnel of the year were selected by the principal at each school building, or by central office staff.

Teacher of the year nominees were as follows: Bethlehem Elementary, Olivia Kilbane; Middle Creek Elementary: Eleni Walter; Steenrod Elementary, Jenn Schmitt; Ritchie Elementary, Julie White; Warwood Elementary, Carman Strope; West Liberty Elementary, Brenda Bachman; Woodsdale Elementary, Amber Green; Bridge Street Middle, Cole Coates; Triadelphia Middle, Shelby Musilli; Warwood Middle, Christina Cain; Wheeling Middle, Barnes; and Wheeling Park High School, Nick Nardone.

Those nominated for service personnel of the year were, at Bethlehem Elementary, Kim Simmons; Elm Grove Elementary, Sheila Little; Madison Elementary, Ashley Blumenauer; Middle Creek Elementary, Robin Murphy; Ritchie Elementary, Kaitlyn Folmar; Steenrod Elementary, Rachel Fedorke; Warwood Elementary, Shelly Welker; West Liberty Elementary; Woodsdale Elementary, Mia Ickes; Bridge Street Middle, Scott Delbrugge; Triadelphia Middle, Ronna Harto; Warwood Middle, Patty Wilkinson; Wheeling Middle, Peggy Wensel; WPHS, Tom Toland; central office, Senkbeil; maintenance, Donnie Ratcliffe; and transportation, Brian Beckett.

Teachers Eleni Walter at Steenrod and Nick Nardone at WPHS are brother and sister, and it was the first time two siblings have been recognized as Teacher of the Year nominees during the same year, according to Butyn. They are the children of the late WPHS teacher and football coach Mark Nardone.