Governor Stein Announces Ten Recipients of Governor’s Educator Discovery Award
Today, Governor Josh Stein and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) announced that ten teachers across the state would be awarded the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award.
“Our students benefit when their teachers prioritize their own continued education,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am proud to award these professional development grants to teachers who are striving for excellence, and I am excited to hear how they leverage this additional education in the classroom.”
The Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is a stipend of up to $1,000, awarded to PreK-12 traditional public and public charter educators to pursue a professional development experience of their choosing. Teachers submit a proposal detailing their teaching experience, the professional development activity they wish to pursue, and how it would enhance their efforts to create work-based learning activities for their students. These applications then go through a rigorous review process and are narrowed down to ten winners.
The 2024 winners were from the twelfth and thirteenth cycles of teachers to receive the award since its inception in 2019. Growing interest in the program has enabled it to expand, bringing the total number of grants awarded to 51. The next cycle of the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is currently open and accepting applications. Learn more and apply here.
The ten teachers who received grants will use their Governor’s Educator Discovery Award in the following ways:
Daniel Fussell, a Social Studies Teacher at Innovation Early College High School in Pitt County Schools, attended the NC Technology in Education Society (NCTIES) conference in Raleigh, where he learned about innovative technologies to support a classroom that prepares students for a future-oriented workforce. In the past, NCTIES has inspired Fussell to introduce TinkerCad and 3D printers into his classroom.
Cori Greer-Banks, a Humanities and Expedition teacher at The Exploris School in Wake County Public Schools, used the stipend toward three different professional development opportunities. First, the Monticello Teacher Institute is an immersive professional development program that allows social studies teachers to research and study at Monticello and the Jefferson Library in Charlottesville, Virginia. The other two fellowships are offered through the National Endowment for the Humanities: Little Tokyo: How History Shapes a Community Across Generations, and Grand Coulee Dam: The Intersection of Modernity and Indigenous Cultures. Engaging in these programs will allow Greer-Banks to expand the number of perspectives in her American history curriculum.
Pamela Jordan, a Career Development Coordinator at Warren County High School in Warren County Public Schools, will use the grant for the National Career Development Association (NCDA) Summer Conference in San Diego, CA last June. The conference topics highlight the state of the workplace and the need for connecting mental and physical health with career success. Jordan seeks to gain additional insights on strategies and techniques to balance the current technical landscape and mental health issues derived from the COVID-19, to support students turning to career pursuits.
Lauren Wilmot, an animal science, veterinary assisting, and horticulture teacher at North Pitt High School in Pitt County Schools, attended the NC CTE Summer Conference in Winston-Salem thanks to the grant. The conference provided numerous workshops and professional development opportunities regarding CTE curriculum updates, as well as hands-on labs that can be used in the classroom. Teachers also had the opportunity to collaborate with fellow educators in their content area from across the state.
Rong Zhang, a Mandarin Chinese teacher at East Cary Magnet Middle School in Wake County Public Schools applied the award toward the 2024 MSU STARTALK for Chinese Language Teachers Program. STARTALK, funded by the National Security Agency (NSA), is designed to increase the number of U.S. citizens proficient in critical-need foreign languages, with a particular emphasis on Chinese. The program comprises a learning phase to curriculum development and language assessment, a summer professional development program focused on unit development and refinement, and classroom implementation and evaluation.
Franchone Bey, an English teacher at West Charlotte High School in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Schools attended the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention in Boston. The event offered ELA educators the chance to collaborate with teachers from across the country, meet research scholars, and hear from prominent authors like keynote speaker Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. By the end of the event, participants could integrate real-world writing experiences into their classrooms, employing cross-curricular inquiry methods and project-based learning to enhance student writing skills.
Darren Rhym, an English teacher at Columbia Early College High School in Tyrell County Schools also attended the NCTE Annual Convention in Boston. Rhym attended the event to learn about ways to utilize NC Writing Standards in his clean energy unit, emphasizing the importance of cross-curricular learning. Through various sessions presented by research scholars and authors, Rhym was able to gather a unit of materials for developing project-based learning experiences to enhance student writing and employability.
Alicia D’Joi, a STEM teacher and Robotics Coach at JM Alexander Middle School in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Schools used the grant to attend the AIM Conference hosted by NCDPI in Raleigh. D’joi led a session titled Robotics for Rookies: Your First Steps into the Future, where she provided an exciting and hands-on introduction to the world of robotics. In her session, rookie participants learned to design, build, and code a robot. Through this event, D’Joi shared her vast knowledge with colleagues across the state and heard from other educators and educational leaders.
Jessamyn Bailey, a Visual Arts and Photography teacher at High Point Central High School in Guilford County Schools, attended the North Carolina Arts Educator Association (NCAEA) Annual Conference in Asheville. The conference offered a wide range of professional development opportunities, including workshops on fiber arts, photography, curriculum development, and new art-making techniques. Sessions focused on hands-on learning while providing networking opportunities with practicing artists and art organizations, allowing educators to bring career exploration and work-based learning opportunities into their classrooms.
Ameriki Somers, a Media Coordinator at Lowrance Middle School in Forsyth County Schools, will use the award this year to attend the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Conference in St. Louis, MO. Lowrance Middle School is an alternate learning environment that serves students with fundamental disabilities in grades 6 – 10. The conference will provide Somers with innovative strategies and resources to create specifically tailored hands-on work experiences that meet the accessibility needs of her students. Somers hopes to provide her students with the opportunity to explore careers and develop real-world skills through the inclusive learning environments, adaptive technologies, and differentiated instructional methods.
The Governor’s Educator Discovery Awards are funded by NCBCE member companies. As interest in the program continues to grow with each cycle, NCBCE hopes to raise additional funds to expand the program in future years. Parties interested in funding the initiative should contact Caroline Sullivan, Executive Director of NCBCE, at caroline.sullivan@nc.gov.
The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) is a business-led, education non-profit (501-c3) that operates out of the Office of the Governor. Since 1983, NCBCE has provided a critical link between North Carolina business leaders and the state’s education decision-makers, helping to create connections between the education curriculum and the overall work readiness of people across the state.
