Meet the Teacher of the Year winners in Wake, Johnston, Orange and Chatham counties
Triangle school districts are honoring their top teachers for all their hard work helping their students.
The Wake County, Johnston County, Orange County and Chatham County school systems have all recently named their 2022-23 Teacher of the Year winners. Durham Public Schools will name a winner on May 20, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s top teacher will be named June 6.
Meet the Teacher of the Year winners who’ve been announced so far. They’ll go on to compete in the North Carolina Teacher of the Year program.
Wake County
Students and fellow teachers at Broughton High School in Raleigh cheered on new Wake County Teacher of the Year Caroline Olson on Thursday.
Cheers rang throughout the school’s courtyard for the special-education teacher. Olson, who started her teaching career at Broughton in 2015, was chosen for the award from a field of nearly 11,000 educators in the Wake County school system.
“Those of you who know Ms. Olson and have known her work since 2015 know that she is exceptional,” said Broughton principal Elena Ashburn. “She sets high academic standards for her students. She believes in her students and she does everything possible to make their wildest dreams come true.”
Betsy Graves, Broughton’s dance director, ran up to hug her friend. Graves, who was Wake County’s 2017-18 Teacher of the Year, decorated Olson’s classroom with balloons and streamers on Thursday.
Olson thanked her students and colleagues for all their help.
“This award is truly not a reflection of my efforts alone, but rather the partnerships, connections and collaborations that I’ve had with many people throughout the years,” Olson told the crowd at Thursday’s celebration.
Johnston County
Jennifer Beninate, Johnston County’s new Teacher of the Year, is a hometown product who’s giving back to her community.
Beninate graduated from Princeton Union School, which is now Princeton Middle/High. She was helping students even then volunteering to read with the kids in the lower grades.
Beninate’s husband was in the military so they moved around a lot, living in places such as Japan. But she knew she wanted to be back in Johnston County.
“I wanted to come back home,” Beninate said in a news release. “I wanted to teach amongst some of my previous teachers and colleagues.“
Beninate has been a Johnston County teacher for 10 years, spending her first three years at Pine Level Elementary. She’s now a third-grade teacher at Four Oaks Elementary, where her two daughters attend.
She draws inspiration from her idol Mary Poppins. She was recognized for using a multi-step approach to team building and goal setting that includes partnering students together to build each other up.
“Teaching is just a way I get to be Mary Poppins every day,” Beninate said.
Orange County
Shannon Floyd learned she was Orange County’s Teacher of the Year at a surprise ceremony this month in front of the entire Grady A. Brown Elementary staff and student body.
Floyd, a third-grade teacher, has taught at Grady A. Brown in Hillsborough for 16 years.
Orange County Superintendent Monique Felder called Floyd “a true teacher leader where she exemplifies the very best of Orange County Schools.” Felder pointed to how Floyd has set up school-wide STEM challenges, served as a beginning teacher mentor and helped facilitate school-wide family nights.
“Ms. Floyd is intentional about building relationships with her students, colleagues, and families by establishing trust and ensuring that her students feel safe, loved, and part of a larger community,” Felder said in a news release. “Ms. Floyd builds standards-based lessons that ensure each and every child can be successful in her classroom.
Chatham County
Cassadi Walden, a social studies teacher at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, is Chatham County’s Teacher of the Year.
Walden started her teaching career in 2012 in Durham Public Schools. She came to Chatham County in 2014 to work at Chatham Central High.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected,” Walden said after the announcement was made April 29. “I feel fortunate to have colleagues who have helped me learn and improve my skills in the classroom every year. We have a great district with so many outstanding educators.”
Karla Eanes, Chatham Central’s principal, said Walden has a special gift with how she interacts with her students. Eanes said Walden is the kind of teacher that her students “will remember 30 years from now.”
“Chatham County Schools is very proud to have Mrs. Walden representing us,” Superintendent Anthony Jackson said in a news release. “The energy and dedication she brings to our profession are invaluable, as is the impact she has had on her students.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Meet the Teacher of the Year winners in Wake, Johnston, Orange and Chatham counties."
