JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2021 VyStar Duval County Teacher of the Year got another surprise on Tuesday when members of The Players organization stopped by his school.
Jim Schmitt, who teaches history and global perspectives and research at Mandarin High School, is a huge golf fan.
So a group from The Players Championship stopped by the school Tuesday morning to give Schmitt a gift basket, which included two tickets to this year’s sold-out Players Championship!
He also got a YETI cooler filled with:
- A signed pin flag
- A “TPC JAX” hat
- Players golf balls
- “Island Time” koozies
- Sterling cut glass pint glasses
- A Sili Cup
Schmitt took home a brand new Hyundai Elantra from Jenkins Hyundai during the Jacksonville Public Education Fund’s EDDY Awards when he was announced as the Teacher of the Year in January.
Schmitt has 28 years of teaching experience. Throughout his career, he has excelled as a teacher leader, developing a writing program for at-risk students, writing a $10,000 grant for a school-to-work program, and serving as a standards coach. When COVID-19 hit, he took a leadership role in helping teachers collaborate even more, developing a community discussion group to exchange technology strategies that work.