leadership
Nash County Elementary School Assistant Principal of the Year Leo Nieves ‘18MSA: ‘It is My Goal to Help Make the Educational Experience for All Involved a Positive One’
As a first-year teacher, Leo Nieves ’18MSA was afraid to ask for help because he didn’t want to look like he didn’t know what he was doing. That was the biggest mistake he ever made. Now, as assistant principal at Benvenue Elementary School in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, he wants to help other teachers be successful.
Nash County High School Assistant Principal of the Year Megan Bain ‘18MSA: ‘I Am Passionate About Supporting Teachers and Helping Students Pursue Their Own Pathway to Personal Success, Happiness and Productive Citizenship’
For Megan Bain ‘18MSA, education was not her intended career. She sort of fell into it. After earning her bachelor’s degree in international studies and Arabic, Bain joined Teach for America after witnessing the experience of one of her best friends in the program. Today, she is the 2020-21 Nash County High School Assistant Principal of the Year.
Nash County Elementary School Principal of the Year Yolanda Wiggins ‘12MSA: ‘I Never Saw Myself as an Educator. Others Saw it in Me and Encouraged Me to Take My Love of Literacy into the Classroom to Inspire Students’
Yolanda Wiggins ‘12MSA worked as a news reporter in Halifax County for five years. During that time, she was encouraged by the Halifax County Schools’ superintendent to try teaching. She went through North Carolina’s lateral entry/residency license program and became a middle school English teacher, which was the start of her 23-year long education career.
Wake County Assistant Principal of the Year Monica Sawyer ‘99: ‘Being Able to Partner with the Largest School District in the State for Observations and Student Teaching Experiences is an Asset that Most Other Education Programs Cannot Offer’
When Monica Sawyer ‘99 graduated from the NC State College of Education with her bachelor’s degree in business and marketing education, she landed a marketing job with the NC State Athletics Department. That experience was the launching pad for her education career.
Excellence Fund Helps The Literacy Space Provide Reading Support Services for Elementary School Students, Creates Professional Development Opportunities
As a result of donations to the NC State College of Education Excellence Fund, the Wolfpack Readers Program was able to establish The Literacy Space, an off-campus location that provides direct services to elementary school children who need extra support in reading.
Professor Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby Named Head of Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences (TELS)
Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby, Ph.D., will be the next head of the NC State College of Education’s Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences (TELS), effective Aug. 1. She will succeed John K. Lee, Ph.D., who became the college’s associate dean for faculty and academic affairs July 1, 2020.
Halifax County Principal of the Year Teicher L. Patterson ‘13MSA: ‘In Order to Change a School and Community, the Leadership Must be Visible and Active in Community Functions, Meetings, Celebrations and Even in Times of Struggle and Hardship’
As principal of Enfield Middle STEAM Academy, Teicher L. Patterson ‘13MSA has a passion for rural education and a commitment to helping students succeed, which led to him being named the 2019-20 Halifax County Public Schools Principal of the Year.
Edgecombe County Principal of the Year Lauren Lampron ‘14MSA, ‘19EDD: ‘I Hope My Work Serves as a Catalyst to Allow Education to Become an Equalizer in Our Society’
When Lauren Lampron ‘14MSA, ‘19EDD joined Teach for America in 2010, she had no idea that a decade later she would be leading W.A. Pattillo Middle School and would be named the 2019-20 Edgecombe County Public Schools Principal of the Year.
Social Studies Education Doctoral Student Casey Holmes ‘21PHD Receives NC State Graduate Student Association Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching
Casey Holmes ‘21PHD, a doctoral student in social studies education, was selected as one of 10 graduate student teachers to receive the NC State Graduate Student Association Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.
Counselor Education Doctoral Student Felix Morton IV ‘23PHD Named 2020-2021 Chi Sigma Iota Leadership Fellow, Will Attend American Counseling Association Conference
Felix Morton IV ‘23PHD, a doctoral student in counseling and counselor education, was selected as a 2020-2021 Chi Sigma Iota Leadership Fellow, which allows him to attend the American Counseling Association (ACA) Conference and Expo in San Diego, Calif., April 15-19, 2020.