HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (May 25, 2018) — Katie McCrary, a 7th grade English/Language Arts teacher at Rugby Middle School, was named Henderson County Public Schools’ 2018 Teacher of the Year on Friday at the Teacher of the Year luncheon sponsored by Park Ridge Health at the Hendersonville Country Club.
McCrary has spent the last four of her nine years teaching at Rugby Middle, where she also serves as assistant volleyball coach and plays an important role in coordinating the annual Mountains-to-Sea field trip for 8th-graders. She is also currently working on her National Board Certification.
“She’s all things Rugby,” said Assistant Principal Michael Gates.
Like all 23 nominees from each elementary, middle and high school, McCrary was nominated by her peers for the designation of her school’s Teacher of the Year. Following extensive interviews with a selection committee comprised of an administrator, parent, board member and the previous teacher of the year, McCrary was selected to represent Henderson County Public Schools as its 2018 Teacher of the Year.
Gates said McCrary leads through her work in the school’s English/Language Arts department, in her professional learning community, and at the district level through Project Empower – the district’s digital education initiative. As a Project Empower teacher using Google Chromebooks in her classroom, “(McCrary) works with her peers across the school district, sharing best practices about the purposeful use of technology and how it can enhance instruction and learning,” Gates said.
In McCrary’s classroom, all students are engaged, said Assistant Principal Suzanne Meadows. “What I love about Katie McCrary, is there’s a passion for every student in her classroom, a high expectation that every student has an ability to achieve, and she will guide them to that level of achievement,” Meadows said.
Meadows and Gates said McCrary communicates with students respectfully, building positive relationships that are based on genuine interest and care.
“She is devoted to her career and her kids. She spends many hours after school working on lesson plans and getting student feedback,” Gates said. “She pushes herself and critically reflects on her practice,” added Meadows.
In addition to a plaque, $1,000 from Park Ridge Health, an all-expense paid trip to a state education conference, and a Teacher of the Year class ring by Jostens, McCrary received a warm welcome from her students and fellow teachers when she arrived back on campus Friday.
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