Ari Young
Teaching From The Heart
story by NAKEISHA THOMPSON photo by PAUL NURNBERG
Arriel T. “Burns” Young was born on June 6th, 1984 to Sheryl Burns-Calloway and Gregory Winkfield Sr. in New York City, New York. At three months of age, her family relocated to Beaufort, South Carolina, where she spent her life thus far. Arriel (Ari) considers herself “a true product of Beaufort County School District”, in which she attended Beaufort Elementary School, Lady’s Island Middle School and Beaufort High School where she graduated with the class of 2002. She is a devoted wife to Brandon Young, mother of two, Brielle and Peyten, and servant in the Beaufort County community.
After completing her high school education, she attended the University of South Carolina at Aiken, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Human Services. Following graduation, Ari relocated back to Beaufort and devoted five years of service as a Career Counselor at the SC Works Office in Beaufort, South Carolina.
After working closely with the children in her family and teaching basic reading and math skills, she felt a great level of excitement when their light bulbs turned on as they grasped newly taught concepts. From that moment she knew that she wanted to make more of an impact in her community by teaching and inspiring others. This inspired her to go back to school to become a teacher. When asked what her passion is, Ari states “considering my love for education, I knew that teaching was the direction I wanted to take.”
She later received her Master of Education degree from Grand Canyon University. Her teaching journey began in 2015 at what she states is “the best school ever, Broad River Elementary School”. Under the leadership of Constance Goodwine-Lewis, Principal and Jamie Allen, Assistant Principal, Ari continues to devote herself to the students, administrators, co-workers and parents at BRES. She considers it a great honor and privilege to call herself a “Starfish” where she teaches 2nd and 3rd grade students in the dual language (Spanish Immersion) program. Ari was awarded the BRES Teacher of the year because of her commitment, dedication, and leadership that has had the most positive effect on her students and their academics. Broad River Elementary School is one of the two elementary schools in the Beaufort County School District that offers the Language Immersion program, which provides students the opportunity to learn a second language (Spanish or Chinese) starting as early as Kindergarten. BRES language immersion program is in its 10th year and has had great success stories from students and families. According to the Beaufort County School District website, BRES has been recognized as a US Healthier School, Palmetto Achievement Awards for overall achievement and closing the achievement gap, as well as, making AYP multiple years.
Along with the dedication of being an impactful teacher, Ari is also a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated where she actively participates in community service activities throughout Beaufort county such as: Storks Nest activities, Back to School Expos, Thumbs Up volunteer, and more. Mrs. A. Young, as her students call her, is also a devoted member of the Beaufort County Educator’s Association. In her spare time, she loves traveling with her family, reading different genres of books, shopping and her newest passion is crafting and creating personalized T-shirts, plates and other items.
In her own words, “I am looking forward to representing my school as the 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year.” Two of her favorite quotes that she often shares with her students are: “Mistakes are proof that you are trying” and “Be the change that you want to see in the world”- Ghandi.
In preparation for the new school year, Ari encourages parents to continue to assist their children with summer reading, problem solving, and critical thinking. She recommends students to use the following online sites to keep their skills fresh: Storyline Online, StudySC, ExactPath and ABC Ya! Ari prides herself in being able to give back in a way that is life-changing and academically impactful. She is a proud BRES Starfish, and a true competitor at heart. This year her 3rd grade class won the tug of war contest at the 2018/2019 school Field Day. Ari, Mrs. A Young is looking to make this school year one that is fun, educational, impactful and mind-opening for her students.
