HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (September 14, 2018) – Cassidy Dillin of Fletcher Elementary has been named district representative for the North Carolina’s Exceptional Children’s Educator of Excellence, and will represent Henderson County Public Schools at the statewide annual conference November in Greensboro.
A teacher with HCPS for five years, Dillin teaches an Intensive Intervention classroom at Fletcher, where she has been successful in helping students return to the mainstreamed classroom setting.
“She is the most positive Exceptional Children’s teacher I have ever worked with,” said Liz Barbour, 2nd grade teacher at Fletcher. “Her ability to stay calm in difficult situations is incredible and she always maintains high expectations for her students in a positive and supportive way.”
Dillin is being named “Educator of Excellence” only months after being recognized as her school’s 2018 Teacher of the Year, having been nominated by her peers at Fletcher.
“She works tirelessly to teach the whole child with a focus on her students’ mental health and academic needs in a loving and supportive way that fosters student success,” said HCPS Exceptional Children’s Director Lynn Metcalf. “Her enthusiasm and work ethic to meet the needs of students and to improve the quality of education for Exceptional Children students are contagious, as she is a leader both in the classroom and among her colleagues.”
Dillin regularly provides professional development for all teachers at Fletcher on how to incorporate trauma-informed strategies in all classrooms, and assisted with the creation of materials for a “Pause Place” in every classroom that any student can use when he or she needs to refocus.
She also serves as the School Improvement Team chair at Fletcher and is member of the Lighthouse Team, which leads implementation of The Leader in Me throughout the school. In addition to teaching, Dillin is currently working on her Master’s in Counseling through Western Carolina University.
“We know no educator more committed to serving the needs of every student in our schools, or a better representative for our profession today,” said Metcalf.
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