Hundreds of Trojans gathered in the John Hopkins Auditorium on Wednesday for what appeared to be a talk about student behavior and expectations but soon turned into a celebration for Ms. Guyotte, who was selected as a finalist for district Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Guyotte, who teaches science and is girls volleyball coach, was named JHop’s Teacher of the Year earlier this semester. At the assembly, she was surprised by Superintendent Hendrick with flowers, a gift, and a sign announcing her achievement. She then took pictures with dozens of fellow teachers and scholars after the announcement.

JHop cheerleaders performed a routine, and the school band played lively tunes in the background as scholars cheered for Ms. Guyotte.

It was important to host a special celebration to acknowledge such a tremendous achievement, JHop Principal Brittnee Scott.

The assembly was a cover for Ms. Guyotte’s recognition otherwise only a few students could participate, she said.

“I could’ve had them go straight to her classroom and 20 kids saw it, but I wanted everybody to see that Guyotte is an amazing part of John Hopkins,” Ms. Scott said. “She is one of the gems that we have at the ‘Gem of South,’ so we wanted to go big.”

After the celebration, Ms. Scott calmed down the crowd and began talking about eighth grade expectations, including good behavior. One of the very first things she spoke about was no horseplay or running.

She specifically made the point that students should not be wearing Crocs or hoodies. Students may wear hoodies only under special circumstances like if there’s cold weather, Ms. Scott said.

Additionally, Ms. Scott reminded students that they should not be tardy and arrive to class on time.