On Thursday, October 6th, Mr. Jacob Prahst was named as the 2022-2023 Lexington County School District Three Teacher of the Year during a special banquet held at T&S Farms in Leesville. Mr. Prahst, or Coach Prahst as he’s known to most of his students and to his players on the Batesburg-Leesville Middle School football team, is a teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Middle School where he serves as the AVID program instructor.
Coach Prahst earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Bowling Green State University in 2012. Shortly thereafter, Coach Prahst moved to South Carolina where he began teaching sixth grade Social Studies at B-L Middle School in 2013 before eventually becoming the school’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher in 2016. Coach Prahst has a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University and is currently working to receive a STEM Endorsement from Clemson University.
Coach Prahst believes that a successful teacher is one who forges strong connections with each student. “To build these positive relationships, I have the task of connecting with the students on a personal level. I take the time to get to know each of my students through daily conversations. I go out of my way to try and find out what they are interested in, what they do outside of school, and what extracurricular activities they are involved in. I take every opportunity to have a positive interaction with each of them. I treat my students like I treat my own children. Within my classroom, I constantly have my students interact, communicate, and work together with one another. This allows for a community within my classroom to develop. The goal is for this community to eventually turn into a family,” he said.
Coach Prahst and his wife, Raime, have three children–Rya (11), Preslie (7) and Jak (5). When he’s not at a Lexington Three Panther sporting event, he enjoys spending time with his family at the lake, attending USC athletic events, and watching his oldest daughter dance, middle daughter ride horses and son play basketball.
Coach Prahst was one of four teachers vying for the title of overall 2022-2023 Lexington County School District Three Teacher of the Year. Other finalists included Chelsea Shealy from Batesburg-Leesville Primary School, Meredith Green from Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School and Donielle Hartley from Batesburg-Leesville High School.
The four Teacher of the Year finalists walked away with a host of prizes on Thursday evening courtesy of various community businesses, organizations and individuals. Lexington Three would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the following sponsors for their support:
Apptegy
Artwork By Keiley Frye
Artwork By Jeni Hand
B-L Panther Athletic Booster Club
Blair’s Bites — Cakes, Cookies & Confections
B-L Chamber of Commerce
Cedar Lane
Contract Construction
Debbie Taylor Jewelry Designs
Economy Furniture
Jeni Hand Photography
Jumper, Carter, Sease Architects
Kenneth Shuler Schools of Cosmetology
Lexington 3 Technology Department
Lexington 3 Instructional Services Department
Mela By Jess
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative
Monogram Manor
Oswald Wholesale Lumber
Randall’s Produce
Rush Clothing Company
Shealy’s BBQ
Shear Pleasure Salon
Southern Fox Sweets
Starbucks
Sweet Simplicity
The Attic
The Nest By Cregger Company
The Purple Peacock
The Spotted Bunny
Unique Image Salon
The Woman’s Society of B-L
In addition, Coach Prahst will receive a $1,000 stipend from the SC General Assembly in April of 2023. Coach Prahst will go on to represent Lexington County School District Three in the South Carolina Teacher of the Year competition that begins in January.
