Sarah Gams

Sarah Gams is the 2021 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. A native of Chesterfield, she has worked in the Lexington-Richland School District 5 for 17 years, teaching everything from middle school English to advanced placement courses. She was chairman of the English Department at Spring Hill High School for seven years, before that serving as English Department chairman at Chapin Middle School. Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree from the Honor’s College of the University of South Carolina and later earned a masters in secondary education from the university. She earned her masters +30 at Coastal Carolina University and studied at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. She is board-certified and is also an adjunct professor at Columbia College where she teaches courses in teacher certification. Sarah is now working with the South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement and the state Department of Education advocating for teaches across the state and nationally.