Board of Education recognizes “good news” honorees

Board of Education recognizes “good news” honorees during November and December meetings

Each month, the Gaston County Board of Education recognizes students, employees, community partners, and others during the “good news” portion of the regular meeting.  Here is a look at who was honored during the November and December 2025 meetings.

■ The Stuart W. Cramer High School girls golf team was recognized for earning an outstanding runner-up finish in the 4A state championship. The team included Audrey Leazer, Mackenzie Blackledge, Winsley Crotts, and coach Brad Sloan.

Individually, Crotts shot a 77 to finish third in the state championship. Blackledge recorded an 86 to place 11th, and Leazer shot a 93, finishing 16th overall and earning the Class 4A Sportsmanship Award.

At the West Regionals, Crotts captured first place with an impressive score of 70 – and even more notably, she achieved a hole-in-one during the competition. The team finished second overall in the regionals, which qualified them for the state tournament.

■ The South Point High School girls golf team was recognized for winning back-to-back state championships. The team included Madison Pruden, Sophia Travenski, Chloe Villarreal, Sammie Clements, Caroline Mumford, and coach Allison Lord.

In the state tournament, the team had a combined score of 379 – eight strokes ahead of the second-place team – to win the 5A state title.  Individually, Pruden finished as the 5A state runner-up with a 118 score over 27 holes, and Travenski was honored with the Class 5A Sportsmanship Award.

In addition to the state championship, the team won the Big South Conference championship for the fourth consecutive year and was the runner-up in the West Regionals, which qualified them for the state tournament.

■ Elizabeth Woodruff, a student teacher at North Belmont Elementary, was recognized for being chosen as the N.C. Student Science Teacher of the Year.  She also earned the Elementary Student Teacher Award from the N.C. Science Teachers Association in recognition of her outstanding performance, creativity, and passion for teaching science through hands-on learning.  

Woodruff is an elementary education major at Belmont Abbey College and a member of the college’s track and field team.  She plans on teaching in Gaston County Schools next year.

■ The cafeteria staff at five schools were recognized for consistently achieving a 100 percent rating.  Since the 2018-2019 school year, Belmont Central Elementary, Catawba Heights Elementary, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy, Hunter Huss High School, and Rankin Elementary School have earned a perfect score.  

Year after year, inspection after inspection, the cafeteria employees at these five schools have demonstrated excellence, consistency, and pride in what they do, and to maintain a 100 percent score for the past six school years is an incredible achievement.

■ Bethany Jennings of Stuart W. Cramer High School was recognized for being selected as the 2025 N.C. High School Choral Teacher of the Year.  The award is presented by the N.C. Music Educators Association.  Jennings has been teaching for 20 years, including the past 12 as the choral director at Stuart W. Cramer.  

The award honors Jennings for her unwavering commitment to excellence in teaching.  Within the walls of her classroom, she strives to create an environment where students thrive both musically and personally as they pursue the highest standards of artistic performance while experiencing the power of choral music.  Beyond the classroom, Jennings is known for working to strengthen and advance the choral profession. Through her leadership, colleagues have grown through meaningful collaboration and communities have been enriched through her expertise in the fine arts.

■ A group of students were recognized for being chosen for the N.C. Middle School and High School Honors Chorus Festival in Winston-Salem: Carmelo Raymond of Mount Holly Middle School; Worth Helms, Raven Miller, and Pyper Whitworth of Cramerton Middle School; Bentley McGugan, Charles Marks, Eastin Messick, Harper Collier, Isaac Bansen, John Sutcliffe, Liam Bain, Lilly Fieler, Lucas Wallace, and William Gathings of Belmont Middle School; Matthew Heilig and Olivia Jenkins of Forestview High School; and Zachary Hatfield of Stuart W. Cramer High School.

The students auditioned for the honors chorus in September and were notified in October of their selection. They joined other talented students from across North Carolina to rehearse and perform a concert that showcased the best student-vocalists in the state.

■ Five of Gaston County Schools “Of the Year” winners for 2025-2026 were recognized to accept a proclamation in celebration of American Education Week.  Accepting the proclamation were Teacher of the Year John Ramos of Forestview High School; New Teacher of the Year Richard Morris of Forestview High School; Teacher Assistant of the Year Christi Jolley of W.P. Grier Middle School; Assistant Principal of the Year Charlotte Friday of W.A. Bess Elementary School; and Central Office Administrator of the Year Leigh Smith of the Human Resources Department.

■ Carrie Lineberger of Belmont Middle School was recognized for receiving the prestigious Award of Excellence at the North Carolina Music Educators Conference in Winston-Salem.  The award is presented by the South Central District Bandmasters Association, and it recognizes outstanding contributions to music education.

Lineberger is in her 22nd year of teaching; she has spent her entire career at Belmont Middle School.  The award honors Lineberger for her outstanding achievements and contributions to public school band programs.  Through her professional leadership, Lineberger has inspired and motivated excellence in instrumental music performance.  

■ First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia was recognized for providing take-home reading packets for third grade students at Sherwood Elementary School.  The packets are an important tool in strengthening early literacy skills. 

Built on the Science of Reading, the packets include decodable texts that are personalized for each student based on reading assessment data, which allows teachers to target the exact phonics skills each child needs to practice.  The packets also include research-based activities that reinforce reading skills and motivate students to keep reading throughout the year.

■ The winners in the Attendance Matters! video contest were recognized for creating videos to promote the importance of good student attendance.  Schools were asked to create a video that promotes good attendance, and nine schools were selected as finalists: Ashbrook High, H.H. Beam Elementary, John Chavis Middle, Cherryville Elementary, Cherryville High, Cramerton Middle, Grier Middle, Lingerfeldt Elementary, and McAdenville Elementary.

Nearly 1,900 votes were cast in the contest.  The first place winner is John Chavis Middle School with 465 votes.  The second place winner is Ashbrook High School with 316 votes, and the third place winner is Cherryville Elementary School with 306 votes.