Nine teachers are vying for the honor of being named the 2015 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year.
All of them have been selected to represent their regions and charter schools as the state’s regional Teachers of the Year.
“Thanks to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund we can give due recognition to nine outstanding teachers who are setting the bar for instructional excellence in our public school classrooms,” State Superintendent June Atkinson said in a news release. “These teachers well represent the 95,000 public school teachers working hard every day to ensure our students graduate ready to succeed in life. They will contribute much to our state during their service on the 2015 North Carolina Teacher of the Year team.”
The nine regional Teachers of the Year are:
Region 1: Jami Dickerson, Eastern Elementary (Pitt County Schools)
Region 2: Joshua Gaskill, Pamlico County High (Pamlico County Schools)
Region 3: Jeremy Tucker, James B. Hunt High (Wilson County Schools)
Region 4: Mariel Barker Sellars, East Columbus High (Columbus County Schools)
Region 5: JoAnna Massoth, Chatham Middle (Chatham County Schools)
Region 6: Jennifer Whitley, Forest Hills High (Union County Schools)
Region 7: Keana Triplett, Ashe County High (Ashe County Schools)
Region 8: Randy Pressley, Tuscola High (Haywood County Schools)
Charter Schools: Elizabeth Padgett, Lake Norman Charter (Mecklenburg County)
The Teacher of the Year program has existed in North Carolina since 1970. The current honoree is James Ford, who teaches World History at Garinger High School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. His successor will be named on April 7 at a Cary awards ceremony.
