Elliott named North Central Region Teacher of the Year
January 3, 2008 - Paige Elliott, Wake County’s Teacher of the Year, has been named the North Central Regional Teacher of the Year and is now one of nine teachers in the running for the North Carolina Teacher of the Year. Board chair Rosa Gill and Superintendent Del Burns congratulate Paige Elliott for being named Regional Teacher of the Year. |
Dan Holliman of the NC Department of Public Instruction told students and teachers gathered in Fuquay Varina High School’s auditorium this afternoon that Elliott was one of 2,200 teachers recognized at the school level and one of the 115 honored by school districts as Teacher of the Year last fall. When Holliman announced Elliott as the Regional Teacher of the Year, the auditorium erupted in applause.
“This is a wonderful honor,” said Elliott. “I am so humbled and there are not words to describe how thankful and appreciative I am right now and how much I look forward to representing the outstanding educators in our area.”
As students cheered, Elliott made her way to the podium where she received a bouquet of flowers from principal Edward McFarland.
Superintendent Del Burns offered his congratulations. “Paige Elliott loves learning. She loves her students. They mean a lot to her,” said Burns. “She is one of those rare folks that knows exactly who she is. She is a teacher leader. She leads from her classroom and she is a leader in our school system.”
As the ceremony ended and students made their way out of the auditorium, many stopped to give Elliott a hug and offer their congratulations.
“Being honored is a validation of so much hard work and effort and energy, not just for me, but for the teaching profession,” said Elliott. “It’s someone saying that ‘Yes. What you do is important and it’s recognized.’ And when you hear students or the superintendent saying what they say about education and teachers, they are absolutely right. That’s what makes me so proud to do what I’m doing.”
As Regional Teacher of the Year, Elliott will be honored in the spring at a Teacher of the Year Gala. She will receive:
- Total one time stipend of $5000
- Engraved plaques
- Opportunities to present and facilitate at local and state meetings/programs
- Financial support to attend one national professional conference
- The opportunity to attend a seminar at NCCAT, The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching
- Opportunities to have direct communication between state education leaders and policymakers
- Opportunities to promote the North Carolina Teacher of the Year network
- Support from Public Schools of North Carolina in sponsoring the Annual North Carolina Teacher of the Year Symposium/Celebration
- Opportunities to enhance the profession of teaching with substitute, travel and subsistence provided by the state
Elliott was honored in a reception in the school media center that followed the announcement. She was congratulated by Superintendent Del Burns and Board of Education chair Rosa Gill, as well as other Wake County education leaders.
-wcpss-