Ms. Yang is patient and attentive and very in tune to student needs. She helped nurture a life for learning and embraced constant curiosity always taking the time to really listen and explain concepts. Ms. Yang greeted each student with a smile every morning and her cheerful nature is contagious! She is patient and caring with all and communication with parents is excellent. Ms. Yang took the time outside of school to attend two separate sporting events for our child and I know she went to several other student extracurricular activities as well.

~2023 Nominee for G. Yang,
Shuford

She made him feel welcome in his first year of school as a Pre-k student. She went over and beyond for all her students! The children got to earn stars for helping other students in the classroom or for being a good listener and got to pick prizes once they earned so many stars. She welcomed them at the door with a smiling face and also sent them home daily with a smiling face

~2023 Nominee for M. Price, North Newton

Mrs. May always made me feel seen and heard at school, from simple things like saying good morning to me every single day to pushing me to always do my best. Her positive and motivating attitude got me through some hard times at school and she not once stopped believing in me and the great things I could accomplish. Motivated me, said good morning to me every day, asked me how me and my family were, etc.

~2023 Nominee for C. May, NCHS

Mrs. Whiteheart helped boost my child’s confidence in testing and overall in reading. She was able to improve her reading and Mrs. Whiteheart was there every step of the way providing not only encouragement but also communication with parents. She helped in the summer reading program and I truly felt that she wanted the best for my child. At this age, it’s a crucial point in a child life and education to succeed. If it wasn’t for her determination and her love for teaching, I don’t think that my child would have excelled like she did. Thank you so much!

~2023 Nominee for N. Whiteheart, Shuford

(I was her student) without her support and help I wouldn’t have been able to graduate but she helped make it possible and I even was able to graduate early. She treated all students equally, she radiated great energy and positivity all the time. I could go on and on she was the absolute best!

~2022 Nominee for E. Gargis, NCHS

Senorita Ordonez was very patient, understanding, and purposeful in building a relationship with my child. He respected her and was able to learn in a safe, positive environment.

~2022 Nominee for S. Ordonez, NCMS

My child has never truly enjoyed history. Mr. Hardy made history come to life in his AP Government class. My son felt confident that he had the skills to pass the AP test, and he was excited to come to Mr. Hardy's class every day. This is a lot to say for a high school senior. My son said things like, "He is so interesting." "He is by far the best teacher I have ever had since Kindergarten." "I'm really interested in what we are learning about." Mr. Hardy did a great job flipping his instruction for remote days and using face-to-face time for discussion and high-quality direct instruction. He completely engaged with his students when they were face-to-face. I definitely think Mr. Hardy deserves a Sweet Salute.

~2021 Nominee for G. Hardy, NCHS

Even though she wasn’t my child’s teacher, she always made the time to help a student in need. There is a particular student that comes to mind that Mrs. Ghorley has an amazing relationship with and goes out of her way to help be successful. She made this student feel safe and loved by not only by listening to him but helping him make sense of his logic and emotions.

~2022 Nominee for A Ghorley

Mrs. Hester kept a full class of 2nd graders engaged all year via remote learning. She was certain to reach out any time parents needed to be aware of things happening at the school, when my kid was missing something or struggling, even when he had to miss a class unexpectedly to make sure he was okay. Mrs. Hester was always available and went out of her way to bring supplies to our house for projects when we ran out. He struggled with math drills orally over Zoom so she made time for him to come in to a sanitized station in her classroom and run as many (or few) drills as he was comfortable with. Mrs. Hester made time for each and every student and, subtly but very deliberately, made sure even the most shy and guarded students got time to ask questions, brag about their accomplishments, and feel heard. We may have spent a year apart, but she made each day feel like we were all together in one big welcoming living room.

~2021 Nominee for K Hester -Martin, South Newton

Mrs. Hester kept a full class of 2nd graders engaged all year via remote learning. She was certain to reach out any time parents needed to be aware of things happening at the school, when my kid was missing something or struggling, even when he had to miss a class unexpectedly to make sure he was okay. Mrs. Hester was always available and went out of her way to bring supplies to our house for projects when we ran out. He struggled with math drills orally over Zoom so she made time for him to come in to a sanitized station in her classroom and run as many (or few) drills as he was comfortable with. Mrs. Hester made time for each and every student and, subtly but very deliberately, made sure even the most shy and guarded students got time to ask questions, brag about their accomplishments, and feel heard. We may have spent a year apart, but she made each day feel like we were all together in one big welcoming living room.

~2021 Nominee for K Hester -Martin, South Newton

She was phenomenal: challenging, encouraging, caring, enthusiastic, informative and an instrumental part of my child’s successful 5th grade year — best year he’s ever had!

~2021 Nominee for C. Rozzelle, Shuford

She was a really great teacher by thoroughly explaining the material. My son looked forward her class everyday (which is a big deal because he's not a super fan of school in general). She helped make the transition from elementary to middle school really smooth.

~2021 Nominee for J. Matheney , NCMS

Mrs. Edwards made a big impact on my life and helped make me what I am today. She is the best EC Teacher that I ever met. She just not a Teacher, she is much more then a teacher. A teacher teach, but she helped all of her students do wonderful in all of their class and in their community. I say again she is more then a Teacher.

~ 2020 Nominee for K. Edwards, NCHS

My child has never truly enjoyed history. Mr. Hardy made history come to life in his AP Government class. My son felt confident that he had the skills to pass the AP test, and he was excited to come to Mr. Hardy's class every day. This is a lot to say for a high school senior. My son said things like, "He is so interesting." "He is by far the best teacher I have ever had since Kindergarten." "I'm really interested in what we are learning about." Mr. Hardy did a great job flipping his instruction for remote days and using face-to-face time for discussion and high-quality direct instruction. He completely engaged with his students when they were face-to-face. I definitely think Mr. Hardy deserves a Sweet Salute.

~2021 Nominee for G. Hardy, NCHS

Mrs. Barkley puts so much time and effort into personalizing learning specific to my child’s needs. She is always trying new things to keep learning fun, relevant, and engaging.

~ 2020 Nominee for K. Barkley, Shuford

She was no less than amazing! She encouraged him to go beyond, supported him through some big life changes, was there for him during remote learning and cheered every success. She was the best thing for him in early 2020 and we'll never forget her.

~2020 Nominee for T. Reynolds, South Newton