SOCSD named SHS Teacher, Courtney Honnoll as 2026 Teacher of the Year and SHS Principal, Dr. Watress Harris as Administrator of the Year at its annual Winter Convocation and Awards of Excellence.
Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District honored its Employees of the Year during the 2026 Winter Convocation on Monday, with two long-time Starkville High School staff receiving the district's highest honors. Courtney Honnoll, a veteran English teacher at SHS, was named the district-wide 2026 Teacher of the Year, and SHS Principal, Dr. Watress Harris was named 2026 Administrator of the Year.
"I can't think of a better way to begin a new year and a new semester than to recognize some of the most outstanding members of our team," SOCSD Superintendent Dr. Tony McGee shared as he stepped to the podium to greet the nearly 750 Yellow Jacket staff members in attendance. "We have so much to be proud of as we enter the second half of the school year, and I'm grateful for the contribution each of you make to creating a learning environment where our students can learn, grow and excel."
The Winter Convocation event offers a way to unite and energize staff for the spring semester after the winter holiday, and this year the district also celebrated its yearly awards presentations. In addition to awarding district-wide honors in six categories, including Teacher of the Year and Administrator of the Year, SOCSD honored 55 staff members and parent volunteers for departmental and school-level awards, including teachers, new teachers, certified and non-certified support staff, and those earning National Board Certification.
The district's Teacher and Administrator of the Year awards are among the most highly anticipated as they also serve as nominations for corresponding state-wide awards. These honors came near the end of yesterday's breakfast event and brought cheers from the crowd.
"Receiving the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Teacher of the Year award is deeply humbling and honestly overwhelming in the best way," Courtney Honnoll said. "To represent Starkville High School, a place filled with incredible students and educators, is an honor I do not take lightly. I am truly blown away that my peers chose me, because I am surrounded every day by teachers who work tirelessly, love their students fiercely, and give far more than what is ever asked of them."
Honnoll was voted by her peers as the Starkville High School Teacher of the Year, which served as her nomination for the district-wide honor. The 15-year veteran teacher served in five school districts, including the former Starkville School District and Oktibbeha County School District in Elementary and Special Education before taking her current role as an English teacher at Starkville High. Between those two roles, she worked outside of education, but says she felt "called" to return.
"I felt God calling me back to education," she says, and credits her fellow SHS staff members and students with providing the daily motivation and inspiration to teach with excellence.
"This recognition feels less like a personal achievement and more like a shared celebration of the people I am privileged to work alongside," she says. "Above all, my students are the heart of this award. Their stories, growth, challenges, and trust inspire me daily. Without them, I would not be in this position, and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to teach them, learn from them, and advocate for them every single day."
Dr. Harris highlighted Honnell's commitment to people and the exemplary way she represents the school and district when he announced the award.
"There is no better representation of Starkville High School than Courtney Honnoll," he said. "She builds trust with students by showing respect, communicating high expectations, and never hesitates to go the extra mile to provide an inclusive and positive environment for learning. She also collaborates openly with colleagues, guiding discussion and sharing instructional strategies. She demonstrates outstanding Jacket pride through her positive attitude and willingness to help with anything needed."
In addition to teaching 10th grade English, a class that also carries an end-of-course state assessment required for graduation, Honnoll also serves as sponsor for the SHS National Honor Society. She stays actively involved in extracurricular activities available at SHS, regularly supporting school events and volunteering her time to help.
"Mrs. Honnoll's enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to our school community shine through without ever needing to be asked," Harris said. "She invests herself each day to support our school, staff, students and families at the level of excellence."
Superintendent McGee praised Honnoll's dedication to students and families and was quick to recognize the same level of investment from Dr. Harris as he presented the Administrator of the Year award.
"The same commitment to excellence and helping students succeed that is evident in Ms. Honnoll's classroom can also be said of our 2026 Administrator of the Year, Dr. Watress Harris," he said. "Dr. Harris loves this community. He loves Starkville and Yellow Jacket students. There is not a more humble leader than this man. I've watched him work tirelessly every day to support all of you, his staff, and to build a culture of excellence at Starkville High. It shows in the quality of learning experiences and opportunities we're providing students every day."
The love and commitment Harris has for his team was evident during Monday's awards program in the trademark smile and deep bear hug he gave every Starkville High school-level honoree when presenting their certificates.
"I'm incredibly honored to receive this award, but I share it with the best teachers and support staff in our district," Harris says. "In life, everybody wants to make a difference in the world. It's especially meaningful when you can make a difference in your home town. Together, we are working hard to make that difference and I'm honored to serve our families."
Harris was named Starkville High School Principal in 2024 and is a 1998 graduate of the school. Prior to taking the helm at SHS, he served in the district as a 7th and 8th grade teacher, Assistant Principal at Henderson Ward Stewart and Armstrong, and Principal at The Learning Center. Under his leadership, Starkville High was awarded an A-rating for the first time by the Mississippi Department of Education in September 2025, based in part on student performance on state assessments, participation in advanced studies, and completion of Career and Technical Education coursework.
While the SHS rating is important to the district and the community, Harris sees a deeper picture.
"We have four years to shape our students' lives," he says. "Starkville High is the only place in the district where teachers and administrators currently work with a student for four years, and with the opportunities our students have at SHS – there's no limit."
With the diverse array of extracurricular activities, athletics, clubs and advanced studies available to students at SHS, each one is faced with choices, and the weight of those choices isn't lost on Harris.
"Whatever a student wants to pursue, they have an opportunity to get a taste of that at SHS, and shepherding them through those choices is a huge responsibility," he says. "Our job is to prepare students for the world mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially. Someone shaped my life and changed my life in high school. My goal is to make sure that I'm doing the same for our students as well."
In addition to honoring Honnoll and Harris, the district recognized Partnership Middle School's Educational Support Aide, Teresa Brooks as SOCSD Non-Certified Support Staff of the Year, maintenance staff member, Tony Waterway as Classified Support Staff of the Year, and Overstreet Elementary Special Education teacher, Ty Boren, as New Teacher of the Year. Eighth grade parent volunteers, Katie Brown and Karen Herndon, were also honored as district Parents of the Year.
The district's 2026 Awards of Excellence program was presented on Monday in partnership with Renasant Bank of Starkville, who provided sponsorship for the event for the third year in a row. Through the organization's ongoing support of the district, Renasant donated $5000 used to provide gift cards for every staff award-winner.
"We are very proud to be a part of this special event," said Brad Jones, Renasant Bank's Starkville Vice President. "There is no work that impacts our community more than what you do every day, and you all are very deserving."
With school in session on Tuesday for a new semester and teachers and staff back on campuses throughout the district, McGee shares gratitude and a common goal for the new semester.
"I'm very proud of all our award-winners. Our district is very fortunate to have so many dedicated educators, administrators and support staff," he says. "They work together each day to provide excellent and innovative learning experiences for our boys and girls. Every adult on our campuses contributes to that positive experience and to making a difference in our children's lives. Our goal is to keep going and continue to raise the bar."