Gaston County Schools names ‘Of the Year’ winners for 2025-2026

Truist serves as event sponsor for Evening of Excellence awards ceremony

Six employees received the most prestigious awards presented by Gaston County Schools during the 2025 Evening of Excellence ceremony on Thursday, May 1, at Stuart W. Cramer High School.  Truist sponsored the red carpet-themed awards presentation, which honored outstanding educators, including teachers, administrators, support staff, auxiliary services personnel, and others.
  
The ‘Of the Year’ winners, who were announced during the ceremony, include:
▪ Teacher of the Year: John Ramos, Forestview High School;
▪ Principal of the Year: Jaime Wallace, Brookside Elementary School;
▪ Assistant Principal of the Year: Charlotte Friday, W.A. Bess Elementary School;
▪ New Teacher of the Year: Richard Morris, Forestview High School;
▪ Teacher Assistant of the Year: Christi Jolley, W.P. Grier Middle School; and
▪ Central Office Administrator of the Year: Leigh Smith, director of personnel management systems, Human Resources Department.

Below is biography information for each award recipient:

■ Teacher of the Year
The 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools Teacher of the Year is John Ramos from Forestview High School.

A member of Gaston County Schools’ international teaching faculty, Ramos teaches biology and earth/environmental science at Forestview.  Prior to joining Gaston County Schools in 2021, he taught science and math at schools in the Philippines for three years.  He also has served as an education lead for academics at the National Youth Leadership Forum at the University of Michigan and the University of California – Berkeley.

A National Board Certified Teacher for high school science – integrated science, biology, chemistry, and physics, Ramos holds degrees in science education with specialization in biology from Philippine Normal University – Manila (bachelor’s degree) and Philippine Christian University – Manila (master’s degree).  He will represent Gaston County Schools in the regional competition for the 2025-2026 North Carolina Teacher of the Year award.

The finalists for Teacher of the Year included Kathryne Lavender, Pleasant Ridge Elementary School; Elizabeth Leonard, North Gaston High School; Bridget Matzke, Highland School of Technology; and Karmen Teague, South Point High School.

■ Principal of the Year
The 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools Principal of the Year is Jaime Wallace from Brookside Elementary School.

Wallace began her teaching career in Gaston County Schools in 1999 at Bessemer City Central Elementary School.  She was promoted to the role of assistant principal in 2006 and served at the following schools: Gardner Park, Rhyne, Forest Heights, Belmont Middle, North Belmont, Catawba Heights, and Pleasant Ridge.  In 2015, she was named the principal of Gardner Park Elementary School; she moved to Brookside in 2021.  Wallace has been appointed to serve as the principal at Woodhill Elementary School for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Wallace holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree in school administration from Gardner-Webb University.  She will represent Gaston County Schools in the regional competition for the 2025-2026 North Carolina Principal of the Year award.

The finalists for Principal of the Year included Josh Allen, South Point High School; Laura Clark, W.A. Bess Elementary School; Rebecca Huffstetler, East Gaston High School; and Donna Kelly, Rankin Elementary School.

■ Assistant Principal of the Year
The 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year is Charlotte Friday from W.A. Bess Elementary School.

Friday began her career in Gaston County Schools in 1998 as a fourth-grade teacher at Robinson Elementary School.  She later worked in the Central Office/Human Resources Department as the mentor coordinator, providing support and guidance for beginning teachers.  In 2012, she became an assistant principal at Mount Holly Middle School and also served as an assistant principal at Ashbrook High School and Rankin Elementary School before going to W.A. Bess in 2021.

A National Board Certified Teacher, Friday holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in speech communication from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree in school administration from Gardner-Webb University.

The finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year included Carmin Adams, Pinewood Elementary School; Jenny Carper, Highland School of Technology; Deon Kennedy, Mount Holly Middle School; and Logan McGuire, Bessemer City Middle School.

■ New Teacher of the Year
The 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools New Teacher of the Year is Richard Morris of Forestview High School.  The award is presented in memory of Linda Israel Rader, who was a trailblazer for teacher professional development in Gaston County and across the state and nation.

Morris teaches English and Advanced Placement (AP) psychology at Forestview.  Prior to becoming a classroom teacher, he worked in the business/sales sector as an office manager, site manager, project leader, and consultant.  He also worked in South Korea as a global trainer for The Princeton Review and head instructor for Chungdahm Learning, Jungchul Academy. 

Morris obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNC-Charlotte and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in teaching (middle grades and secondary education) at UNC-Charlotte.  He will represent Gaston County Schools in the 2025-2026 Beginning Teacher of the Year competition, which is sponsored by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT).

The finalists for New Teacher of the Year included Alyssa Eckard, Ashbrook High School; Jamie Harris, Page Primary School; Emily Parris, Cherryville Elementary School; and Arianna Weber, Page Primary School.

■ Teacher Assistant of the Year
The 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools Teacher Assistant of the Year is Christi Jolley of W.P. Grier Middle School.

Jolley has worked for Gaston County Schools since 2009, serving as parent involvement specialist, teacher assistant, substitute teacher, and interim teacher at Sherwood Elementary School.  She became a teacher assistant at W.P. Grier Middle School in 2023.  She has been an active volunteer for the Ashbrook High School Athletic Booster Club and served as the PTO president at Sherwood, Grier, and Ashbrook.

Jolley is completing the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UNC-Pembroke and will obtain her teacher certification ahead of the 2025-2026 school year.

The finalists for Teacher Assistant of the Year included Catherine Cox, Springfield Elementary School; Melanie Dellinger, Brookside Elementary School; Lee Washington, Robinson Elementary School; and Angela Yount, Lowell Elementary School.

■ Central Office Administrator of the Year
The 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools Central Office Administrator of the Year is Leigh Smith, director of personnel management systems, Human Resources Department.

After working for several years in Catawba County Schools, Smith joined Gaston County Schools in 2003 as the assistant principal at North Belmont Elementary School.  She later served as the assistant principal at Rhyne Elementary School before being named the principal at Sherwood Elementary School in 2006.  She also served as the principal at New Hope Elementary School and H.H. Beam Elementary School.  In addition to working in Human Resources at the central office level, Smith has experience serving as the executive director of federal programs and special services.

Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in school administration from Appalachian State University.  She obtained a doctoral degree in educational leadership/superintendent licensure from Gardner-Webb University.

The finalists for Central Office Administrator of the Year included Karen Archer, new teacher support facilitator, Academic Services Department; Susie Bradley, director of student assignment, Student Support Services Department; Scott Cassell, student information system specialist, Technology Support Services Department; and Sarah Rector, director of professional development, Academic Services Department.

The Evening of Excellence ceremony pays tribute to the school district’s most outstanding employees for their exceptional leadership and many contributions to the public school system in Gaston County.  The Gaston County Schools Communications Department, with assistance from the Human Resources Department, organizes the annual awards program and facilitates the ‘Of the Year’ selection process.  

Superintendent of Schools Morgen A. Houchard stated, “We would like to congratulate everyone who was honored during the Evening of Excellence ceremony.  The program is designed to bring attention to the outstanding teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, and additional personnel in Gaston County Schools who go above and beyond expectations to inspire success.  We are especially proud of our award winners, and we look forward to having them represent Gaston County Schools as our ‘Of the Year’ winners for 2025-2026.”

The Evening of Excellence ceremony took on a red-carpet theme with the awards being presented in a fashion similar to awards shows on television.  Highlights included having previous winners joining last year’s winners on stage to reveal this year’s award recipients, a singing group made up of school district employees perform a mashup of classic TV theme songs, and high school pageant winners (Ava Miller of Cherryville High School, Rylee Heafner of East Gaston High School, Ava Bumgardner of South Point High School, and Ava Mercer of Stuart W. Cramer High School) assist with the awards presentation.  During the VIP reception held immediately before the ceremony for the award honorees and their guests, Monica Morgan, chorus teacher at W.P. Grier Middle School, and Regis Lu, a senior at the Highland School of Technology, performed various selections on the piano.
  
In addition to Truist serving as the event sponsor, Courage Kia in Gastonia provided sponsorship as well, presenting a vehicle lease agreement for a Kia K4 to the 2025-2026 Gaston County Schools Teacher of the Year.  The Gaston County Education Foundation also served as a sponsorship partner, presenting $5,000 in funds to support professional development opportunities for the six “Of the Year” award winners and the Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year finalists.

Dr. Houchard added, “We would like to express our appreciation to Truist for sponsoring this important employee recognition program again this year.  We also would like to thank Courage Kia and the Gaston County Education Foundation for partnering with us to provide additional sponsorship – Truist, Courage Kia, and the Education Foundation are responsible for helping us make the Evening of Excellence extra special.”

The Evening of Excellence ceremony was recorded, and it will premiere on Spectrum Channel 21, the Education Station for Gaston County Schools, the week of May 26 - June 1 at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m.  The video will air at other times this summer, and it will be available on the Gaston County Schools website and YouTube channel.