Superintendent surprises five finalists for Gaston County Teacher of the Year

Five employees in Gaston County Schools got a big surprise recently when Superintendent of Schools W. Jeffrey Booker showed up to announce their selection as a finalist for Gaston County Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Booker and representatives of the human resources staff stopped in at each teacher's school on January 18 to share the good news.

The five finalists for 2023-2024 Gaston County Teacher of the Year are:

▪ Melissa Clements of Belmont Middle School.  Clements is a seventh grade English and language arts teacher. She has been teaching for 20 years.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations and communications and a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Appalachian State University. In addition, she earned her Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) teaching license from UNC-Charlotte.

▪ Lindsay Dickerson Beverly of Forestview High School.  Dickerson Beverly is an AP (Advanced Placement) English Language and Composition teacher.  She has been in the education profession for 19 years. In addition, she teaches yearbook and journalism.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UNC-Greensboro and a Master of Library Science degree from East Carolina University.

▪ Joanna Kirk Dotson of Tryon Elementary School.  Dotson is a music teacher at Tryon Elementary and Webb Street School.  She has been in the education field for 10 years. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in music education from the University of Alabama and a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia.

▪ Michael Kaufman of East Gaston High School.  For the past nine years, Kaufman has taught math at East Gaston High School.  He currently teaches AP Calculus, Pre-Calculus, and Math 2.  He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a Master of Secondary Math Education degree from Duquesne University.

▪ Jamie Monk of Highland School of Technology.  Monk is an AP European History and AP United States History teacher.  He has been in the teaching profession for 11 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from N.C. State University and a graduate certificate in secondary education and online teaching and learning from UNC-Charlotte.

The 2023-2024 Gaston County Teacher of the Year will be named during the Evening of Excellence dinner and ceremony on Tuesday, May 2 at the Gaston Country Club.  The current Gaston County Teacher of the Year is Steven Loudon of W.C. Friday Middle School.