Congratulations to Todd Smith – Poplarville High School’s Teacher of the Year for 2020-2021!
Todd Smith has been a Health Sciences teacher for almost 8 years. He began teaching at Picayune Career and Technology Center in 2012 after practicing as a Registered Nurse for 18 years. He is currently in his 3rd year at the Poplarville Career Development Center. He is a 1990 graduate of Poplarville High School. He holds an associate degree in nursing from Pearl River Community College. He serves as the school’s HOSA-Future Health Professionals advisor. His philosophy of education was greatly influenced by a quote from the Greek historian Plutarch, “A student is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lighted.” He decided to enter the teaching profession after 18 years of practicing as a registered nurse because he truly wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of young people.
During football season, you can find him on Friday nights working on the chain crew on the visiting team’s sideline. During basketball season, he operates the scoreboard and announces the starting line ups for each team. He also volunteers to drive a school bus to allow different school clubs and organizations on campus to attend events outside of school hours.
As HOSA sponsor, he has had several students compete and win at the local, state, and national levels. He, along with his HOSA members, have annually hosted a blood drive. Mr. Smith feels that his greatest accomplishment by far has been mentoring students who have succeeded in pursuing careers in the highly competitive healthcare field.