MAY 21, 2009 ISSUE
Dacia Trethewey Named 2009-10 Watauga County Schools Teacher of the Year
Dacia Trethewey, pictured here with one of her Parkway art classes, was selected as the 2009-2010 Watauga County Teacher of the Year. Photo by Kristen Street
On the morning of Friday, May 15, a group of school administrators and board members, county officials, friends and press gathered in the office of Parkway Elementary. At 9:00 a.m. they interrupted Dacia Trethewey’s Art class to give her the good news. Trethewey, who teaches art at Parkway Elementary four days a week and at Bethel Elementary one day a week, received the honor of Teacher of the Year for Watauga County Schools for the 2009-10 school year. She succeeds 2008-09 Teacher of the Year Erin Patterson of Parkway Elementary.
For the competition, a teacher from each school is selected, and from that the Teacher of the Year is chosen. The other school-wide Teachers of the Year are Pace Cooper of Mabel, Carol Critcher of Cove Creek, Karen Farthing of Valle Crucis, Alison Garrett of Watauga High School, Julie Gurganus of Green Valley, Ramona Hemric of Bethel, Misty Hyler of Hardin Park and Susan O’Bryant of Blowing Rock.
Trethewey has taught in the Watauga County Schools for six years. She is a graduate of ASU, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in art education and elementary education. She has also achieved National Board Certification, the highest professional credential available in the teaching profession.
The process for selecting the Watauga County Schools Teacher of the Year includes classroom observations, a written statement of teaching philosophy from each teacher and an interview. The selection committee includes representation from teachers, principals, the Board of Education and the Watauga County Schools central office.
Teacher of the Year coordinator Christy Parker said, “She is very deserving, as are all nine of the school-wide teachers of the year. It has been a while since we’ve had a teacher from a special area like art be selected, also, so that’s very exciting.”
Parkway Principal Doug Faulkner also praised Trethewey, and said, “She has all the intangibles you can’t teach or coach and she has a great heart for service to students. She has very high standards and she impacts everyone she sees all day with those standards.”
Watauga County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marty Hemric said that “Her commitment to the students at Parkway Elementary is evident in her teaching and in her philosophy of believing that every student can learn and perform at a higher capacity. She teaches our young people to value themselves and her emphasis on making learning experiences relevant to the students’ personal lives is superior. We are so fortunate and grateful to have Ms. Trethewey in the Watauga County Schools.”
Boone Regional Ear, Nose and Throat Associates has been the major sponsor of the Teacher of the Year program in Watauga County for the past nine years, contributing a total of $45,000 for teacher awards during that time. They have been recognized with an Education Partnership Award by the Board of Education for their long-term support of the Teacher of the Year program.
Trethewey, as this year’s recipient, will receive $500 from Boone Regional Ear, Nose, & Throat Associates, and an additional $350 from the Watauga County Schools.
Trethewey will now compete for regional Teacher of the Year in the Northwest region of the state, one of six regions that will select finalists for the North Carolina Teacher of the Year award.
Before the presentational crowd filled her classroom, Trethewey had been teaching a lesson about glasswork, a medium she worked long and hard to get okayed by the administration. The award group walked in on one more example of the initiatives Trethewey has done to enrich the lives of students of Watauga County.
Trethewey, during her teary and joyous acceptance of the award, said, “I am honored just by the fact that I’m a teacher and that I can be here today. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be able to work with the wonderful kids in our county.”
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