Angela Byrne
INSTILLING THE LEGACY OF FAMILY
story by ERIN WALLACE photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH
Every human has two basic needs: to be loved and known. Angela Byrne has met these needs here in Beaufort for over 30 years working in the school system. Teaching is an art that often does not get the credit it deserves. Angela is a woman dedicated to her students, creating an atmosphere of family no matter how many years have passed. Angela is a treasured teacher here in the Lowcountry, a teacher who continues to make our community better every single day.
Angela grew up in north Florida in a large, close-knit family (extended and immediate), as the second in line of five children, four girls and one boy. Being one of the oldest of the bunch, she always found herself aiding her younger siblings in their homework. It also helped that Angela excelled in school. Being on the honor roll was a constant occurrence for her throughout her school experience. This knack for learning inspired Angela to consider teaching in the first place. A woman truly devoted to learning and helping others learn, Angela even went back to college at the age of 41 to get her master’s in technology in education.
Angela came to Beaufort in 1988, started her college education at the University of South Carolina (USC-Aiken), and received her Early Childhood Education degree. Angela began her pedagogical career at what used to be called Shell Point Elementary and is now known as Riverview. She initially did her student teaching there and was hired as a first-grade teacher the following year. Four years later, her family moved to Savannah, GA, for three years—due to the Marine Corps—where she taught first grade at Pooler Elementary. They received orders back to Beaufort in 1998, where Angela taught first grade yet again and later kindergarten at Saint Peter’s Catholic School. She had a wonderful time there and proceeded to find herself back at Shell Point in 2002 after four years at St. Peter’s.
After returning to Shell Point Elementary, she was a classroom teacher and a literacy interventionist. When the school closed in 2012, the staff were scattered throughout Beaufort County School District (BCSD) while Angela relocated to Broad River Elementary and continued her title as Literacy Interventionist. She also worked as the school’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Coordinator. Angela has cared for generations of students in the Lowcountry in various capacities. Still, the one commonality through her different roles at different schools over the decades is her never-ending commitment to providing top-notch service to her students, regardless of their age, position, or location.
Toward the end of our interview, I asked Angela if there is anything she would like to add to this story, and she informed me of the Jacob Kit. The Jacob Kit is a bleeding control kit named after Jacob Hall, a six-year-old boy who was shot at his school in Townville, SC, in 2016. Angela and her husband, Daniel Byrne, a firefighter for the Burton Fire District, created these kits to be placed in classrooms throughout BCSD. The Byrnes’ hope and prayer is that this kit can be in all schools across America, and I couldn’t agree more.
owners of Bay Street Jewelers.
“In my classroom, I let the kids know that we are family,” says Angela when I ask her favorite part of being a teacher. Her goal at the end of every day, no matter what kind of day they’ve all had, is for her kids to walk away knowing they are loved when they leave her door. Angela stated, “It’s not my classroom; it’s our classroom.” You can now find Angela teaching kindergarten at Port Royal Elementary. Why go back to one of the youngest groups of kids in school, you may ask? It’s where her heart is — the age that she has found to be the most impressionable. Although she is well aware that kindergarten isn’t for the faint of heart, she adores watching their little minds grasp all things school and help lay the pivotal foundation that begins their academic career. Angela plans to retire in the next few years, but I can assure you no one is quite ready for that day.
