8th Annual Teacher Giveaway

We had so many incredible entries into our 8th Annual Teacher Giveaway this year, and one thing is certain — we truly have some amazing local educators, coaches, and staff who are loved by many! You're all rockstars! 

Congratulations to this year's winners: LeAnn Carter of Harkers Island Elementary School, Shelia Moore of Croatan High School and Kelly Riley of Morehead City Elementary — we hope you (and all of our amazing teachers and staff) have an amazing year! 

We honestly believe our teachers are some of the best out there, and we are beyond thankful for all you do. Below, we've included all of the wonderful nominations we had this year! Scroll through for a dose of positivity — 

 

JESSICA ALVIR • GRAMERCY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

• "I nominate Jessica Alvir at Gramercy Christian School because of her patience and love for the little ones. She brings so much joy to her classroom and truly loves and prays for her students!" 

 

PAISLEY BENNETT • WHITE OAK ELEMENTARY

• "Paisley Bennett for being an engaging and dedicated staff member who teaches technology in a fun and interesting way. She helps staff navigate technology with ease. She is resourceful, dedicated and essentially the Google Goddess of Carteret County Schools!"

 

LEEANN CARTER • HARKERS ISLAND ELEMENTARY

• "She is genuinely kind, thoughtful and patient with each of her students. Her grace and kindness are virtues that seem rare in today's times. We are very grateful for her!"

 

SARA D'ELIA • NEWPORT ELEMENTARY

• "Sara D'Elia is a phenomenal teacher. She is committed to her students and her dedication and hard work shows in her students' success. She has multiple students come back and see her and still talk about her many years later. " 

KATILIN GAGNON • MOREHEAD CITY ELEMENTARY

• "Mrs. Gagnon is a phenomenal teacher who teaches from the heart and genuinely cares about educating the whole child. She does lots of engaging projects with her students that make learning come to life and shows students the application of learning to real scenarios. Her classes have grown a variety of plants, participated in a math baking challenge, and designed three dimensional animals related to assigned ecosystems. If I could go back to 5th grade, she would definitely be the teacher I would want!" 

 

JENNA GODWIN • TILLER SCHOOL

• "She's a second year teacher who is very passionate about teaching. She put herself through school with 3 small children and rocks it every day! She is all around impressive and the students love her."

 

NANCY GUTHRIE • ST. EGBERT'S

• "Nancy is helpful, caring, positive, and faith-filled. She is always willing to help with a problem - technology related, personal or professional.  She brings joy and organization to our school every day!"

 

REBECCAH HAINES • MOREHEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL

• "I nominate Rebeccah Haines, the best science teacher ever!" 
• "She also plays French Horn with the Morehead City Consortium and helps with her daughters' Girl Scout troop." 

 

JENNIFER HALVORSON

• "Worked 5 jobs this year teaching sign language, autistic students, art and English at the high school. She is one that stays late and pays for items out of pocket without getting reimbursed. Special education is her passion and would like to continue the field."

 

MADELINE HEVERLY • MOREHEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL

• "She is extremely passionate about teaching and cares deeply for her students." 
• "Maddie is a true artist sharing her gift with students. You can tell she loves what she is doing and how proud she is of her students and their work."
• "She has the most love for her kids and sincerely cares about each and every one of them having the best learning experience. She devotes a lot of her personal time and money into her students which tells me how passionate she is about her career. I truly believe she deserves to win this generous prize."
• "she cares so much about her students and learning to not only practice art but LOVE art. Super cool projects that go way out of the normal standards of curriculum. Truly passionate and an amazing educator!"
• "She is a great teacher and loves what she does." 
• "Nobody loves their job or their students more than this lady. Her passion for her work HAS to affect her students in a good way."
• "loves her students and sparks so much creativity in them!" 
• "Maddie has been blessed with her creativity and she has a passion for sharing it with her students. She is a wonderfully talented and patient teacher. The artwork her students turn out is incredible."
• "Maddie Heverly is high energy, personally caring, motivated and intuitive to the care and well-being of Children and Community as a whole!"
• "She's so passionate about teaching children and being a part of creatively inspiring them! All teachers should be just like Maddie in her enthusiasm and love of what she does!"
• "I nominate Madeline Heverly because she is not only an amazing teacher but she is an amazing person. She is tremendously gifted with a passion for art and she has been blessed with the ability to teach children how to tap into their creativity and express their imaginations.  She also works with her coworkers on art projects. It is a moral booster and it brings the staff together as they create things with Madeline. I believe she has a committed dedication to work with kids."
• "Maddie pours her love for art into her students. My son loved her class and was so proud of his work he brought home."
• "I nominate Madeline Heverly because she is not only a wonderful teacher but she is a wonderful person.  She has been gifted with an amazing talent for art and she has been blessed with the ability to teach her gift to her students by tapping into their imagination and creativity. She not only is able to work with her students to be creative but also with her coworkers, as morale boosting projects. Madeline is just an amazing woman. :)"

 

SYDNEY HILL • BEAUFORT SCHOOLS

• "Sydney Hill! She is a speech pathologist within the Beaufort schools. She is extremely passionate with what she does and loves working with kids to help them overcome speech impediments. Just hearing her talk about her job, you can hear the passion in her voice! She works really hard and speech pathologists often get overlooked or not appreciated enough for their work!"

 

JILL HOOLEY • BROAD CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL 

• "Jill Hooley is a fantastic math teacher who is committed to her students' understanding and the health of the math program in the county as a whole. She deserves the world!" 

 

MRS. KIRK - BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL

• "She really cares about her students. I feel so many middle school teachers don't get recognized the way they should. She works to accommodate her students and makes sure they actually learn the material." 

 

REBECCA LACHAPPELLE • MOREHEAD CITY PRIMARY

• "an amazing OT supporting all of our students!" 

 

RODNEY LEARY

• "I nominate Rodney Leary because he is an amazing art teacher! He puts forth the effort to bring thoughtful, fun and educational projects to life and helps any and all who may need a little creative assistance. Rodney makes his students feel seen and important as well as creates positive lasting relationships with everyone he works with."

 

SARAH LEARY • TILLER SCHOOL 

• "I would like to nominate the best darn Primary School Art teacher (and my wife) Sarah Harker Leary!" 
• "She has a heart of gold and goes way above for her students and her community. She is the epitome of a servant leader and deserves to be celebrated"

 

JILL LINDSTROM • HARKERS ISLAND ELEMENTARY

• "She is truly remarkable! She inspires each and every one of her children. She sees each student as an individual with unique traits & builds their confidence. She values each of her students and makes learning fun!" 

 

AMANDA MCCALL • MOREHEAD CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL 

• "She goes above and beyond year round. The Title Wave, Girls on the Run, morning news, and engaging readers and thinkers everyday are just a few of her superpowers!!!! Most deserving!" 
• "She created the Title Wave library where kids can get a free book from her bus. She traveled all over Carteret county this summer delivering books to over 1000 children on her own time."

 

SHERRI MEADOWS • CROATAN HIGH SCHOOL

• "Sherri Meadows always gives 100 percent to everything she does!!" 

 

SHEILA MOORE • CROATAN HIGH SCHOOL 

• "She teaches science at Croatan High School. A career teacher of 40 plus years yet she still keeps her curriculum fresh and current each year. Her students love her and the enthusiasm she has for all things science.  Her field trips make everyone want to be back in school. She is active in her church and community as well." 
• "She is a tireless and positively relentless educator. She has been teaching for over four, nearly five, decades in a variety of levels and school buildings, all within Carteret County. Not only does she educate professionally (currently a HS teacher), she also educates informally too (like explaining things to others while at the beach, marine science teacher, or aquarium). If you spend time with her out and about in the community you'll meet at least a handful of people who have been taught by her. And yes, she remembers names! She is a relationship builder as a teacher; teaching curriculum and real life skills. She allows and invites students to hang out in her room when she can tell they need a safe space. Throughout her career she has participated in too many to count professional development opportunities. She offers her classes hands out and outside of the classroom experiences. She drives a bus route when needed! Overall, she's the epitome of an awesome educator. Above all that, she's an amazing mother and role model not only for me, but those she touches."

 

COURTNEY PITTMAN • NEWPORT ELEMENTARY

• I'd like to nominate Courtney Pittman, 5th grade teacher from Newport Elementary. She is a hard worker who does her best to help her students thrive and succeed!"

 

CAMERON RAGSDALE • CROATAN HIGH SCHOOL

• "I love how passionate she is about her students and the programs in which she is involved. She sets high standards for her students and for her cheer team and makes them feel as if they can accomplish whatever they set their mind to." 

 

KELLY RILEY • MOREHEAD CITY ELEMENTARY

• "because she builds the best relationships with students- she cares, she holds high expectations, and she has fun doing it!" 

 

JASON ROBISON • MOREHEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL

• "I nominate Jason Robison, Band Director at Morehead City Middle School. He is so dedicated to his students and their success. He works tirelessly to create meaningful, memorable, and engaging experiences for his students. He's an extraordinary teacher. His passion for bringing music into every child's life is worth EVERY nomination! We love Mr. Robison!" 

 

JESSICA SCHIAVONE • MOREHEAD CITY PRIMARY SCHOOL

• "I am nominating my wife, Jessica Schiavone. She is a third grade teacher at Morehead City Primary School. I think my wife deserves this because I see the constant hours and love that she pours into her students and classroom outside of her regular work day. She always goes above and beyond for her students, even when they aren't her students anymore. I can see how much they love her when we are out in town and run into kids and families."
• "I am nominating my daughter, Jessica Schiavone. Jessica goes above and beyond for all of her students. She is a natural and her students and parents all love her!"
• " Jessica is such an inspiring teacher who loves all of her students. She goes above and beyond for them and deserves all the love!"
• "Jessica is the best teacher! She is always doing fun things in her classroom and surprising her students with classroom transformation. Doing these special things for her students can be expensive and she could really benefit from winning this giveaway! She pours her heart into what she does and anyone that knows her, loves her!"

 

LANIE SLIGH • MOREHEAD CITY PRIMARY

• "I nominate Lanie Sligh. My son loved having her as his first grade teacher. The classroom was magical, she always had the best attitude and was so kind towards the kids. Every holiday she would send a book home with the students (for them to keep) with a hand written note that made the kids feel so special. We still have all of ours and think of her every time we read them. She goes above and beyond and is a wonderful gift to the world of education." 

 

BRITTNY SORRELS • NEWPORT ELEMENTARY

• "I'd like to nominate Brittny Sorrels, 1st grade teacher from Newport Elementary. She loves her students and is always trying to make learning fun!"
• "She is always positive and nurturing with even the most challenging students. She builds rapport with all of her students, staff, families and community members. She is flexible and always willing to make changes to benefit students."
• "Loves all her students. Goes above and beyond to be their mom away from home, and make them feel comfortable in the school atmosphere. She makes sure all her students achieve to their highest ability. While showing them their strengths and making them all feel worthwhile. She uses her own income to make the year's activities and celebrations fun and special for her class."
• "Britny Sorrels is the best elementary school teacher! She loves her students and makes learning fun 🤩"
• "Brittny Sorrels is spunky, engaging, and has the sweetest heart! She works so hard in and out of the classroom to raise the next generation. We love her!"

 

JESSI WAUGH • WEST CARTERET HIGH SCHOOL 

• "I love her because she's my daughter! But she also chose that school because that is where she graduated. She loves getting her class involved in special projects that challenge them. She is committed to teaching and really enjoys it. Thank you for your time."

 

SEAN WESTMORELAND • DATA MANAGER AT BEAUFORT ELEMENTARY & BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL