Gaston County Schools
County Schools
‘Of the Year’ winners for 2026-2027 announced
The Gaston County Schools Evening of Excellence award winners for 2026-2027 are (from left to right) New Teacher of the Year Connor Settlemyre, Teacher Assistant of the Year Teresa Schiavoni, Central Office Administrator of the Year Shannon Hullett, Teacher of the Year Erica Baird, Principal of the Year Jessica Mellon, and Assistant Principal of the Year Heather Parrish.
Gaston County Schools names ‘Of the Year’ winners for 2026-2027
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 2026 Evening of Excellence ceremony on Thursday, April 23, 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: Erica Baird, Forestview High School;
- Principal of the Year: Jessica Mellon, W.P. Grier Middle School;
- Assistant Principal of the Year: Heather Parrish, Cherryville High School;
- New Teacher of the Year: Connor Settlemyre, South Point High School;
- Teacher Assistant of the Year: Teresa Schiavoni, Page Primary School; and
- Central Office Administrator of the Year: Shannon Hullett, director of K-12 curriculum, Academic Services.
Below is biography information for each award recipient:
■ Teacher of the Year
The 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools Teacher of the Year is Erica Baird from Forestview High School.
Baird earned an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and a juris doctor degree from the Albany Law School of Union University in New York. She teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Government and Politics, AP Comparative Government, and Civics Literacy and is the adviser for the school’s teacher cadet program.
Coming from a background in law, Baird began her teaching career in Gaston County Schools as a social studies teacher at Bessemer City High School in 2016; she joined the faculty at Forestview in 2019. Baird believes that every student should be provided with a learning environment that supports their development into civically-engaged citizens.
Baird will represent Gaston County Schools in the regional competition for the 2026-2027 North Carolina Teacher of the Year award.
The finalists for Teacher of the Year included Noah Hartley, Hunter Huss High School; Allison Lockridge, Rankin Elementary School; Jenna Markwith, Hawks Nest STEAM Academy; and Clarissa Sanders, Pleasant Ridge Elementary School.
■ Principal of the Year
The 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools Principal of the Year is Jessica Mellon from W.P. Grier Middle School.
Dr. Mellon began her teaching career in Gaston County Schools in 2002 at Hunter Huss High School. After serving as a principal intern at Cherryville Elementary School and Bessemer City Middle School, she was promoted to the role of assistant principal in 2009 and served at the following schools: Grier, North Gaston, Lowell, and Bessemer City Middle. In 2018, she was named the principal of Bessemer City Middle School; she moved to Grier in 2024.
Mellon holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in school administration from UNC-Charlotte and a doctorate degree in education from Gardner-Webb University. She will represent Gaston County Schools in the regional competition for the 2026-2027 North Carolina Principal of the Year award.
The finalists for Principal of the Year included Josh Allen, South Point High School; Jenny Cabe, Lingerfeldt Elementary School; Shawn Hubers, Pleasant Ridge Elementary School; and Tammy Mims, Forestview High School.
■ Assistant Principal of the Year
The 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year is Heather Parrish from Cherryville High School.
Parrish began her teaching career in 2007; she taught science at Bessemer City High School, Lincolnton High School, and McDowell High School before being named the assistant principal at Cherryville High School in 2022. She obtained a master’s degree in executive leadership studies from Gardner-Webb University in 2022.
The finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year included Brittany Beckham, Southwest Middle School; Deon Kennedy, Mount Holly Middle School; Logan McGuire, Belmont Middle School; and Amber Tuttle, Brookside Elementary School.
■ New Teacher of the Year
The 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools New Teacher of the Year is Connor Settlemyre from South Point 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.
Settlemyre is the band director at South Point. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2025 from Gardner-Webb University. While a student at Gardner-Webb, he received numerous honors, including Most Outstanding Male Graduate and Most Outstanding Senior for the university’s music department. He will represent Gaston County Schools in the 2026-2027 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 Jessa Cannon, W.A. Bess Elementary School; Ean Cooke, Ashbrook High School; Sarah Divers, Carr Elementary School; and Paige Lane, Ashbrook High School.
■ Teacher Assistant of the Year
The 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools Teacher Assistant of the Year is Teresa Schiavoni from Page Primary School.
Schiavoni has worked at Page Primary since 2022, serving as an Exceptional Children teacher assistant for students who have health, behavioral, or instructional support needs. She previously worked for Gaston County Schools as a pre-kindergarten lead teacher at Bessemer City Primary School from 1993 until 2001.
Schiavoni holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Appalachian State University.
The finalists for Teacher Assistant of the Year included Jennifer Clemmer, Carr Elementary School; Jessica Gurganus, Gardner Park Elementary School; Amy Light, Carr Elementary School; and Deanna Thornburg, Cherryville Elementary School.
■ Central Office Administrator of the Year
The 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools Central Office Administrator of the Year is Shannon Hullett, director of K-12 curriculum, Academic Services.
Dr. Hullett joined Gaston County Schools in 1999 as an elementary school teacher and was named the Teacher of the Year for New Hope Elementary School and Sherwood Elementary School. She also has served as a learning coach, elementary curriculum facilitator, and director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Gaston County Schools.
Hullett obtained a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Belmont Abbey College, a master’s degree in K-12 literacy from Walden University, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Gardner-Webb University.
The finalists for Central Office Administrator of the Year included Michelle Elrod, licensure coordinator, Human Resources; Chad Hovis, director of community relations, Student Support Services; Amber Spargo, secondary math curriculum coordinator, Academic Services; and Kyle Wood, director of digital learning, Academic Services.
The Evening of Excellence program 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 and the Facilities Department, organizes the annual awards ceremony and facilitates the ‘Of the Year’ selection process.
Superintendent of Schools Morgen A. Houchard stated, “We would like to congratulate everyone who was recognized during the Evening of Excellence program. The ceremony 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 in our students every day. We are especially proud of our award recipients, and we look forward to having them represent Gaston County Schools as our ‘Of the Year’ winners for 2026-2027.”
The Evening of Excellence ceremony took on a red-carpet theme with the awards being presented in a fashion similar to TV award shows. Highlights included having previous winners joining last year’s winners on stage to reveal this year’s award recipients; a musical performance by teachers Stacie Bell of Mount Holly Middle School, April Wilson Goodwin of the Gaston Virtual Academy, and Julian Wilson of York Chester Middle School; and high school pageant winners (Cameryn Bell of Cherryville High School, Ashlyn Price of East Gaston High School, Tori Spivey of South Point High School, Tupelo Guzauskas of Ashbrook High School, and Taylor Martin of Stuart W. Cramer High School) assisting with the presentation of awards.
In addition to Truist serving as the event sponsor, Courage Kia in Gastonia provided sponsorship as well, presenting a vehicle lease agreement to the 2026-2027 Gaston County Schools Teacher of the Year winner. The Gaston County Education Foundation also served as a 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 in Gastonia and the Gaston County Education Foundation for partnering with us to provide additional support – Truist, Courage Kia, and the Education Foundation are responsible for making the Evening of Excellence program possible.”
The Evening of Excellence ceremony was recorded, and it will premiere on Spectrum Channel 21, School TV for Gaston County Schools, the week of May 25-31 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.