Berkeley County School District is excited to share that Alex Wharton has been named the 2025 District Teacher of the Year.
Wharton is a special services teacher at Berkeley High. She has taught for 33 years total. She is noted for incorporating Berkeley County work and life skills into her teaching, and for being a champion and cheerleader for her students.
She was joined by her son – Berkeley High senior John Wharton – along with her fellow BCSD school-level Teachers of the Year, BCSD principals, district officials and Berkeley County elected officials Friday morning during the annual Teacher of the Year Breakfast, sponsored by the Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce and Santee Cooper. The event was held at Trident Technical College.
Upon accepting a bouquet of flowers, Wharton took the podium to touch on the quiet, but powerful, influence teachers have on their students. She talked about perseverance, the importance of building relationships and how teachers need to be champions for their students’ mental well-being.
“By continuing to build meaningful relationships, we give our students more than grades or guidance, we give them a foundation for healing and a launchpad for thriving,” she said. “Sometimes, what a student needs most isn’t a better test score or a new strategy. What they need is someone who becomes, even for a season, an umbilical cord – a life-giving connection that supplies them with what they may not yet produce on their own: motivation, encouragement, confidence and hope.”
Berkeley High Principal Heather Ducker said her school is lucky to have Wharton as a teacher.
“Mrs. Wharton loves all kids,” she said. “She leads through God and her heart. She teaches some of our most vulnerable students, and they just cling to her. I learn from her daily, our faculty learns from her daily, and we’re just really blessed to have her.”
Wharton was previously named one of three finalists for the position, alongside Tanya Hanchon from Boulder Bluff Elementary and Peter Wright from Cane Bay High.
All of BCSD’s Teachers of the Year were celebrated during Friday morning’s program. View list of all 2025 Teachers of the Year.
BCSD Superintendent Dr. Anthony Dixon commended all teachers for their hard work and commitment to making a positive difference in students’ lives.
“That is the power of a strong teacher – not just to educate minds, but to shape character,” he said. “Thank you for being that kind of teacher.”