03.05.2017
South Carolina’s Newest Education Ambassador Will Drive New BMW X5.

Spartanburg, S.C. State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced Wednesday night at a privately-funded celebration in Columbia, SC, that Erin Fox, an English teacher and coach at Gaffney High School, was named South Carolina Teacher of the Year. As part of the celebration, BMW Manufacturing, the event’s premier sponsor, handed Ms. Fox the keys to a 2017 Mineral White BMW X5 xDrive35i. She will drive the X5 during her year-long sabbatical from the classroom as South Carolina’s public education ambassador.

Fox said her driving force are the students she teaches. “I want my kids to give 100 percent, and I feel like if I give them 100 percent in the classroom, they’ll give it right back to me,” she said. “Whatever I give to teaching I expect it in return. And it’s been working well so far.”

“An important part of every child’s future begins in the classroom, and we understand the critical role that teachers play in the success of our youth,” said Max Metcalf, Manager of Government and Community Relations at BMW Manufacturing. “We at BMW are grateful to all the state’s teachers and their commitment in providing a stimulating environment for our children’s’ education.”

Fox says she has big plans in using the BMW X5. “We’re going to take this X5 and roll on into Gaffney, then drive it to church in Tryon on Sunday. Thank you BMW and all the Associates who built this wonderful car. This is absolutely phenomenal.”

Along with the BMW X5, Fox will receive several gifts including membership to Leadership South Carolina, an award of $25,000 cash from the state Department of Education, attendance to Notre Dame’s prestigious Excellence in Teaching Conference, a set of Michelin tires and a celebratory Jostens ring.

Erin Fox earned her English Education degree from Western Carolina University and received her Master’s in Gifted and Talented Education from Converse College. She succeeds Jennifer Wise, a math teacher at Hand Middle School in Richland County District One.

BMW Manufacturing currently produces more than 1,400 vehicles each day. The factory is the exclusive producer of all BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes (and their variants) to 140 global markets. Last year, the Spartanburg plant produced 411,171 vehicles, making it the largest BMW plant in the world by volume. The Plant has a production capacity of 450,000 vehicles and employs nearly 9,000.

Please Note:

To the extent that historical press releases reference BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC as the manufacturer of certain X model vehicles, the referenced vehicles are manufactured in South Carolina with a combination of U.S. origin and imported parts and components.