Lenoir County Public Schools celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week
At Northeast Elementary School, Principal of the Year Rashard Curmon, is making sure every public educator knows how much of an impact they make.
'This is a celebration not just of teachers, but all staff members from our cafeteria to our custodial staff to our bus drivers to our front office,' Curmon said. 'This is a celebration of all their hard work and dedication. They are the difference makers and what they do is magical and it's the work of magic and miracle each and every day.'
The newly-announced Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Erin Greene at Northwest Elementary, said that being a teacher is not just her job, but who she is.
'Last school year was one of the hardest school years ever. I ended up losing my mom in February and I really relied on my students and the school to get me through some of the toughest and darkest days that I had last year,' Greene said. 'And it made me realize when I'm one teacher of the year, that sometimes if I just tell my kids and show my kids that I love them, that that's enough.'
Greene, who was a student at Northwest herself, said it's all about giving back.
'You know, like when you're in elementary school and you have all this, like, nostalgia, like warm, fuzzy feelings inside. I get to work with the people who gave me those warm fuzzies and then I get to give my kids those warm fuzzies,' Greene said. 'Like the field day that we have here now is just like how it was 20 years ago. It's just coming full circle and you know that you're supported here because they have supported you since you were eight years old.'
Teacher Appreciation Week is an ode to the legacies each teacher will leave behind.
'As a public educator, the legacy would be to leave it in school better than I found it and to see a staff and children grow into whatever they desire to be.' Curmon said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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