Teaches: 8th-grade U.S. and South Carolina History

Mrs. Strickland began teaching at Ben Lippen in 2005 and holds special recognitions such as SCISA Master Teacher of the Year (2008-09) and SCISA Teacher of the Year finalist (2012). She and her husband, Tom, have been married 37 years and live in Lexington. Both of their daughters, Sarah and Anna, graduated from Ben Lippen and subsequently Clemson University. In her free time, Mrs. Strickland enjoys traveling, especially to National Parks, battlefields and other historic sights. She has visited 49 states and is making plans to visit the 50th, Wisconsin, in the near future!

What do you love most about what you teach? History is more than just lists of irrelevant information and stories about the past. It involves researching and understanding the motives of people and context of events and how these influenced the history that we study today. I encourage and challenge my students to look beyond the basic and draw their own conclusions about the past.

What has been your most memorable moment at Ben Lippen so far? Since I’ve been here over 15 years there are quite a few memorable moments most which occurred outside the classroom. Our 8th-grade trips to Charleston, spending the night on the Yorktown and, more recently, Washington, DC, definitely top the list!

updated August 14, 2020