Spartanburg, S.C.  State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced Wednesday evening that Amy Carter, an English teacher at Chapin High School in School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, has been named the 2021-22 South Carolina Teacher of the Year.

As part of the celebration, BMW Manufacturing, the program’s premier sponsor, handed Carter the keys to a 2021 BMW X5 M50i. The Alpine White BMW X5 has Black Vernasca Leather interior with the Executive, Dynamic Handling, and Parking/Driver Assistance Packages along with 21-inch M Y-spoke bi-color wheels. Carter will drive the X5 during her year-long sabbatical from the classroom as South Carolina’s public education ambassador.

“I truly feel, especially this year, that I am standing on the shoulders of colleagues and former teachers and all the people in my life who were teachers to me,” Carter said. “It is a profound and humbling profession to be able to mold the lives of young people and it’s a privilege.”

“Amy Carter is an excellent example of the creativity and dedication that South Carolina teachers have shown as they have adapted to remote, hybrid, and socially-distanced instruction,” said Max Metcalf, manager of Government and Community Relations, BMW Manufacturing. “BMW is grateful for all of our teachers who transform and impact their students’ lives and the school communities.”

Along with the use of a BMW X5 M50i for one year, Carter receives a $25,000 cash award, a set of Michelin tires, an exclusive Jostens Teacher of the Year ring, a Bojangles $2,000 award, and complimentary admission to participate in Leadership South Carolina. She will also serve in a one-year residency at the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) and serve as the state spokesperson for over 50,000 educators.

“Gold star efforts for education come from parents, students, and teachers, and it’s absolutely supported by the community,” Carter said. “So, the people who work to support education, like BMW, deserve just as much of a gold star as part of that effort than anybody else.”

BMW Manufacturing is the global center of competence for BMW Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes. Over the years, through continuous investment which now totals more than $11.4 billion, the factory has been expanded six times to more than 7 million square feet. The plant employs more than 11,000 people who build BMW X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 models for the U.S. market and the world.