Gov. Cooper Announces First Teachers to Receive Governor’s Educator Discovery Award | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH: Today, Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) announced the first recipients of the Governor's Educator Discovery Award. Seth Hardison, Amanda Hoke and Emily Warnke will each receive a $1,000 award to help them pursue professional development opportunities.

    "Teaching is a challenging, inspiring career, and North Carolina's hardworking educators deserve the opportunity to pursue specialized training and professional development," Gov. Cooper said. "This award will serve both our educators and students by connecting them to future career opportunities and exhilarating enrichment activities."

    The Governor's Educator Discovery Award was created to support North Carolina educators in their professional development at all phases of their careers. The award provides a stipend of up to $1,000 for preK-12 traditional public and public charter school teachers to pursue a professional development experience of their choosing.

    The Governor's Educator Discovery Award was granted to the following recipients:

    Seth Hardison, visual design in career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Green Hope High School in Cary. Hardison will use his Educators Discovery Award to attend Adobe MAX-The Creativity Conference in Los Angeles, where he will learn more about the software in his curriculum and collaborate with developers, designers and other educators from around the county.

    Amanda Hoke, music teacher at Forest Hills Global Elementary School in Wilmington. Hoke will participate in the Carolina Kodály Institute at Lenoir Rhyne University. This opportunity will support Forest Hill's commitment to music literacy and intercultural engagement.

    Emily Warnke, teacher at Winget Park Elementary School in Charlotte. She will attend the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2019 Conference to learn how to revolutionize technology in the classroom.

    The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) is a business-led, education non-profit (501-c3) that operates out of the Office of the Governor. Since 1983, NCBCE has provided a critical link between North Carolina business leaders and the state's education decision makers, helping to create connections between the education curriculum and the overall work readiness of people across the state.

    "The NCBCE Board members were impressed with the submissions of the finalists," said Caroline Sullivan, Executive Director of NCBCE. "North Carolina is fortunate to have such talented and innovative teachers who are eager to continually improve their teaching practices to expand their students' horizons."

    To be eligible for the Governor's Educator Discovery Awards, teachers submit a proposal that includes details about their teaching experience and the professional development activity they wish to pursue. Applicants also need to describe how their participation in the professional development experience will enhance their efforts to create a work-based learning activity for their students.

    The next round of applications will be available February 1, 2019 with selections announced April 30, 2019. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of business leaders and educators. Awardees will be notified of their selection via email at the address provided in their application.

    Learn more about the Governor's Educator Discovery Awards or submit an application here.

    The Governor's Educator Discovery Awards are funded by NCBCE member companies. NCBCE hopes to raise additional funds to expand the program in future years.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov