Veronica Sargeant | St. Croix District Teacher of the Year Candidate

Multi-Grades

Pearl B. Larsen PreK-8 School

Born to Haidee and Raphael Encarnacion, Veronica Sargeant is a second-generation Crucian and proud product of Puerto Rican grandparents. Growing in a loving Christian home was the foundation that has molded Mrs. Sargeant into the woman she is today. As a young child, she realized that being the second eldest in the family was no small role to play among her eight brothers and sisters. She adapted to enjoying the company of her younger siblings, which forged the ability to care and mold others to become the best that they could be.

Her education started in Lew Muckle Elementary School and proceeded to continue at the Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School. She graduated from the Arthur A. Richards Jr. High School, where she found herself thinking she might want to be a secretary one day; however, she refocused on her first dream—teaching.

She became a high school graduate in 1990, an unforgettable year after enduring Hurricane Hugo. When school opened following the storm, she attended school in the morning due to split sessions. Veronica was offered the opportunity to tutor at the Charles H. Emmanuel Elementary School from midday. It was strange at first, but she enjoyed it and got a taste of what teaching might be like.

Despite the trauma of having to start over after Hurricane Hugo and the constant stress of what the situation had caused, she left St. Croix to attend the Mohegan Community College in July of 1990. After a year, she returned to St. Croix and took time off to welcome her first daughter and start a family. Her desire to be an educator was not forgotten, so she began studying at the University of the Virgin Islands. There, she acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in May of 1999. In September of that same year, she was hired at the Charles H. Emmanuel School as a Bilingual teacher.

Mrs. Veronica Sargeant also had the opportunity to experience education in Norwich, Connecticut, where she serviced four schools as an ESL tutor. This was the second time she would find herself in a position where she did not feel capable of fulfilling the requirements. However, this experience would open her heart to an interest in teaching learners of other languages. The need she saw in those students touched her heart in a way she could not explain.

Upon her return to St. Croix, she was able to transfer to the Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School. To her surprise, she was placed as an ESL teacher to service students in the intermediate grades. This was the final sign she would receive that allowed her to realize her role in education—teaching English to learners of other languages. She began studying online with NOVA Southeastern University of Fort Lauderdale. The long, sleepless nights and balancing three daughters, home, and work were worth it. In March 2012, Veronica earned a Master’s degree in TESOL.

Along this journey in education, many students have had the opportunity to experience the firm, but caring advice. and most importantly, instruction, of Mrs. Sargeant. She has continued to immerse herself in learning new ways to reach all of her learners by attending workshops, giving of her time in afterschool programs, and forging long-lasting relationships with parents and students. In her heart, she knows that student achievement is not acquired only through teaching, but it comes by getting to know the needs that are ailing the youth.

Mrs. Sargeant accepts that in the field of teaching, learning is never done; therefore, she will always analyze herself to find ways that she can become more efficient to benefit her students, as well as any student who requires tutoring and afterschool services. She knows that Education is here to stay, for it is the backbone of molding future leaders of the world.