A seventh-grade social studies teacher at Douglas Byrd Middle School (Cumberland County Schools), Manzell Spencer Jr. is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a ceremony on April 24. Ahead of the event, we are sharing the finalists’ stories so the public can get to know these extraordinary individuals and learn about their contributions to North Carolina public schools.
Celebrate the Good
A social studies teacher at Swansboro High School (Onslow County Schools), Cason Justice is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a ceremony on April 24. Ahead of the event, we are sharing the finalists’ stories so the public can get to know these extraordinary individuals and learn about their contributions to North Carolina public schools.
A second-grade teacher and K-5 reading specialist at St. James Elementary School (Lincoln County Schools), Melissa Hollar Culp is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a ceremony on April 24. Ahead of the event, we are sharing the finalists’ stories so the public can get to know these extraordinary individuals and learn about their contributions to North Carolina public schools.
A multilingual specialist at Pilot Mountain Elementary School (Surry County Schools), Jonathan Lancho Villa is one o
A math teacher at Macon Middle School (Macon County Schools), Nishelle Henson is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a ceremony on April 24. Ahead of the event, we are sharing the finalists’ stories so the public can get to know these extraordinary individuals and learn about their contributions to North Carolina public schools.
A STEM teacher at Hertford Grammar School (Perquimans County Schools), Heather Dail is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will
A history, economics and personal finance teacher at Wilson Early College Academy (Wilson County Schools), Shannon Campbell is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North C
A first-grade teacher at Lake Norman Charter School, Stephanie Lane is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at
This post was written by Dr. William T. Vann III, a 20+ year educator serving as executive director of federal programs and student services at Clinton City Schools.
As we close out Find Your Fit, Build Your Future: Celebrating Choice in NC Public Schools, we’re ending where this initiative has pointed all along: North Carolina public schools are launc
Feb. 2-6 is National School Counseling Week.
This post was written by Alicia Rheel, head of Island Montessori Charter School in Wilmington that serves students K-8.
Every parent wants the same thing: the best pathway for their child.
Not the best pathway in the abstract — the right one for their kid, with their needs, in their community.
How NC’s alternative preparation pathways helped Shaneta Little find her calling.