GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolinians have nominated more than 5,600 teachers and school workers for $10,000 awards in N.C. School Heroes program, sharing along the way remarkable stories of how their heroes help students across the state achieve their dreams.
The nominations are sent in www.ncschoolheroes.com as part of the Education Lottery's effort to recognize and honor School Heroes.
Thousands of folks send in votes daily for their favorite heroes. There are more than 5,600 nominations and at least one nomination from all 100 counties with 14 counties have received more than 100 nominations. Voters have until Sunday, March 31, to nominate a School Hero or vote for their favorite. Several nominees have garnered thousands of votes including a few in Triad school districts.
Mr. Brian McMath, Northwest Guilford High, Guilford County has one of the highest votes for the state with a little over 19,000.
"Mr. Brian McMath is far more than "a music teacher", he is the definition of a Hero to our family. How can you ever thank someone who gave you- your son back? Our son's life passion was Music," wrote Anna-Liv Deardorff who nominated McMath.
"When our son was in a terrible accident the reality that he may not be able to play his Trumpet the same way again, was heartbreaking and more than he could handle. Mr. McMath was the one teacher who made it his mission to help our son fight through the darkness and come out on the other side a stronger kid an even better musician," continued Deardorff.
Karen Wallace, Erwin Montessori, Guilford County a First Grade Teacher at Erwin Montessori has been nominated for the NC Lottery School Hero Award. She wants to use the money if she wins to give back to her school. In April of 2018, the school was devastated by a tornado.
Allison Brown, Southeast Guilford Middle, Guilford County has more than 13,000 votes.
"Brown is a Science Teacher and has a passion for a school garden. She teaches the children how to plant, take care of the garden. When it has all grown, they pick the vegetables of their labor, they are given to a food pantry. All around great teacher and loved by her students and peers," posted Andrea Richey who nominated Brown.
Gregg Weigel, NC Leadership Charter Academy, Forsyth County has almost 18,000 votes, the 2nd highest votes among nominated teachers in the Triad.
"Mr. Weigel is a wonderful asset to NCLA for so many reasons. He is one of our physical education teachers, he coaches many of our sports teams and is always willing and ready to help in any area needed! He truly is a Superman in and out of the classroom," wrote Amanda Anderson.
"One of the biggest reasons why he is our hero is that he plays the role of our traffic director and crossing guard every morning and afternoon. He selflessly directs traffic in and out of school onto our busy front road. He puts himself in front of fast-moving cars to make sure that all are arriving and exiting our school safely. He is such an outstanding teacher and coach and our students absolutely love him," she concluded.
Michele Jordan, Brunson Elementary, Forsyth County has about 1400 votes.
" Michele is our hometown hero. Michele builds relationships with her students providing amazing educational experiences in the classroom. But she thinks beyond her own kids," said Martha Howell of the 4th-grade teacher.
"She has been advocating for equity in our entire school system, spending countless additional hours at Building and Grounds Meetings, School Board Meetings, local FCAE and state meetings to be a learned servant teacher to our community. Thank you, Ms. Jordan, for helping all of us find our voice and take action for our students," ended Howell.
Kimberly Griffis, Eastlawn Elementary, Alamance County has about 3300 votes.
"Mrs. Griffis is a dedicated teacher. She began her journey as a Teacher Assistant and then to STEM Teacher. The whole time she attended NC A&T full time to complete her degree in education. She never neglected her students nor did she use it as an excuse to miss work," said Chandrika Brown who snet in the nomination.
"Mrs. Griffis is faithful, she goes to work everyday with the determination to make a difference in some child's life. When a family is in need she goes out of her way to connect them to needed resources to help the families. Mrs. Griffis is the gold star of an educator," concluded Brown.
Ashley Sansone-Penn, Hugh M Cummings High, Alamance County has 2900 votes.
"Because she takes good care of my son and other classmates in her class who are all handicapped and her assistants are also wonderful. If I could recommend them also I would in a heartbeat. It is a blessing to have them My son loves going to school and he only has 1 more year," wrote Kevin Proulx
"These School Hero stories demonstrate the amazing work occurring in our public schools," said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery.
"Teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, school resource officers, all make a big difference for our students every day. We're glad our School Heroes program shines a spotlight on their great work."
Other Nominations getting high votes across the state include stories that tell of:
• A Greene County elementary school custodian who "will give you the shirt off his back to make sure you are taken care of."
• A Wake County elementary school teacher with the can-do attitude that "rubs off on everybody around her."
The Education Lottery created the program as part of its support of public education in North Carolina and to help increase awareness of how the money raised by the lottery benefits the state.
North Carolinians have until Sunday, March 31, to nominate a School Hero or vote in support of their favorite. Judges will review the nominations of 200 School Heroes who get the most votes. Ten winners will be chosen to receive a $10,000 award for themselves and $10,000 for their schools.
Money raised by the lottery assists many of those School Heroes, including $386 million this year that supports the work of school support staff such as office assistants and custodians. Additional money will help build and repair schools, support the N.C. Pre-K program for "at-risk" four-year-olds, provide college scholarships and grants based on financial need, and help meet school transportation needs.
All 100 counties of the state get support for education programs from money raised by the lottery. Last year, the lottery raised more than $670 million.