You can add another honor to the list for South Carolina’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Amy Carter, an English teacher at Chapin High School, is one of eight civic and professional leaders selected to be part of the SC Education Policy Fellowship Program for 2021-2022.

Another Lexington County educator — Ashley Cohoon, elementary assistant principal at East Point Academy — was also selected to be part of a cohort that also includes last year’s teacher of the year and a member of the state House of Representatives, among others.

Per a news release from the fellowship, it is a “10-month intensive professional development program for established and emerging leaders in education and related fields to help equip them in working toward sound education policy and practice in South Carolina.”

The fellows will take part in various activities to “promote leadership, develop professional networks, demystify education policy, and foster greater understanding of the roles of government and the community in education.”

The fellows will meet monthly through the academic year in addition to a threeday policy seminar in March in Washington, D.C.

“I am so honored to be selected for this year’s cohort for SC’s Educational Policy Fellows Program,” Carter is quoted in a release from Lexington-Richland School District 5. “What I learn in this program will help me be a better advocate for my colleagues, my profession, my students, and my community. Additionally, I will have a chance to meet and work with an even broader network of other educational advocates. We are better and stronger together, and it’s an honor to be included in this group of talented educational advocates.”

The fellowship is overseen by the national Education Policy Fellowship Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership, which has fellowship programs in 10 states and the District of Columbia. The program here is coordinated by the SC School Improvement Council, housed within the University of South Carolina College of Education’s Center for Educational Partnerships.

“This year’s SC-EPFP cohort again represents some of the most dedicated and talented leaders from all corners of our state,” Scott T. Price, executive director for the SC School Boards Association and SC-EPFP advisory board chair, is quoted in the release from the fellowship. “Together, they will work to develop new perspectives, hone their professional skills, and network with other committed leaders so they can take definitive steps for meaningful education improvement at the state and local levels.”