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Perspective | Tar Heel Teachers at Home: Interview with Mark Garrett, McDowell County superintendent

Tar Heel Teachers at Home is a weekly interview series focused on engaging North Carolinians in conversations about education. Each week, a panel of educators interviews a guest(s).


In this episode, the Tar Heel Teachers chat with Mark Garrett about his selection as the 2021-2022 West Region Superintendent of the Year. He has been the superintendent of McDowell County Schools since 2013. Under his leadership, the school system has seen many positive gains.

This episode’s panel:

  • Moderator: Marlow M. Artis, creator, chief content purveyor, & executive producer of Tar Heel Teachers. Twitter: @TarHeelTeachers
  • Elementary School Panelist: Darylanne Lowery, third grade teacher at Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School in Lenoir County Public Schools.
  • Middle School Panelist: Tiffany Cheshire, assistant principal at Guy B. Phillips Middle School i. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
  • High School Panelist: Dillon Crockett, biology & Latin teacher/AIG lead contact at Southern Lee High School in Lee County Schools. Twitter: @crockettlclass
  • Support Personnel Panelist: Aritia Smalls, elementary AIG specialist with Cumberland County Schools. Twitter: @SmallsAritia
  • Guest(s)
    • Mark Garrett, superintendent of McDowell County Schools. Twitter: @mrmarkgarrett
Marlow Artis

Marlow Artis is the Creator and Chief Content Purveyor for Tar Heel Teachers, which encompasses a website, an educational panel talk show, a videocast: Tar Heel Teachers at Home, and an educational travel series: Tar Heel Teachers on the Road. In addition to moderating and executive producing these media platforms, he happily served for five years as a sixth grade English/Language Arts teacher.