South Raleigh News

Governor Josh Stein, in collaboration with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), has announced the recipients of the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award. This award, a stipend of up to $1,000, is granted to ten teachers from across North Carolina. It aims to support PreK-12 traditional public and public charter educators in pursuing professional development experiences.

Governor Stein emphasized the importance of continuous education for teachers, stating, “Our students benefit when their teachers prioritize their own continued education.” He expressed pride in awarding these grants to educators striving for excellence and anticipated hearing about how they would apply this additional education in their classrooms.

The award requires teachers to submit proposals detailing their teaching experience and desired professional development activities. These applications undergo a rigorous review process before selecting ten winners. Since its inception in 2019, interest in the program has grown significantly, leading to an expansion that has seen 51 grants awarded so far.

Among this year's recipients is Daniel Fussell from Innovation Early College High School in Pitt County Schools. He attended the NC Technology in Education Society conference in Raleigh, where he learned about innovative technologies for future-oriented workforce preparation.

Cori Greer-Banks from The Exploris School used her stipend for three professional development opportunities, including programs at Monticello and fellowships through the National Endowment for the Humanities. These experiences will help her expand perspectives within her American history curriculum.

Pamela Jordan from Warren County High School plans to use her grant at the National Career Development Association Summer Conference. She aims to gain insights into balancing technical landscapes with mental health issues post-COVID-19.

Lauren Wilmot from North Pitt High School attended the NC CTE Summer Conference thanks to her grant. The event offered workshops on curriculum updates and hands-on labs applicable in classrooms.

Rong Zhang from East Cary Magnet Middle School applied her award toward MSU STARTALK for Chinese Language Teachers Program, funded by the NSA. This program focuses on increasing proficiency in critical-need foreign languages like Chinese.

Franchone Bey and Darren Rhym both attended the National Council for Teachers of English Annual Convention in Boston. They sought ways to integrate real-world writing experiences into their curricula through cross-curricular inquiry methods and project-based learning.

Alicia D’Joi from JM Alexander Middle School used her grant at the AIM Conference hosted by NCDPI. She led a session introducing participants to robotics design and coding.

Jessamyn Bailey from High Point Central High School attended the North Carolina Arts Educator Association Annual Conference. The event provided workshops on various art forms and networking opportunities with artists and organizations.

Ameriki Somers from Lowrance Middle School will attend the American Association of School Librarians Conference this year. She hopes to develop strategies tailored to meet accessibility needs for students with disabilities through inclusive learning environments.

The awards are funded by NCBCE member companies, which hope to raise additional funds as interest grows each cycle. Caroline Sullivan, Executive Director of NCBCE, can be contacted by parties interested in funding this initiative at caroline.sullivan@nc.gov.

NCBCE operates out of the Office of the Governor as a business-led education non-profit since 1983, bridging connections between business leaders and education decision-makers across North Carolina.