Physical education teacher who inspires her students is Wake's top educator
Macy Brinson, the physical education teacher at Kingswood Elementary School in Cary, was named the 2025 Wake County Teacher of the Year at a ceremony Thursday night. Brinson has only been a teacher for six years, but she's already being recognized for her leadership skills and ability to motivate her students.
'Macy is so dedicated to her program and her students and takes great pride and ownership in all the tasks she undertakes,' Sherry Schliesser, the principal of Kingswood, said in a news release. 'She delivers high quality and relevant instruction for each grade level every day of the school year. She also knows all the students by name and is often seen having conversations with students around the building.'
Brinson, who is from Emerald Isle, was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow Scholar, a program that helps pay the college costs for students who agree to become teachers. She got a bachelor's degree in exercise sports science at Meredith College and a master's degree in kinesiology from the University of North Georgia.
During her acceptance speech, Brinson credited her mother as being her role model. Brinson said her mother, who teaches second grade, has been a teacher for 32 years.
'Over 32 years of teaching, you can imagine that I spent a considerable amount of time in her classroom,' Brinson said. 'She made me wait until the end of her classes. I would pretend to be the teacher. But I wouldn't just pretend to be any teacher. I would pretend to be her.'
Brinson has taught for the last four years at Kingswood, where she received an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023 from the Cary Chamber of Commerce.
'Within each lesson, I empower the students to have a voice and choice in their learning by allowing them to select from a variety of equipment options and by not imposing a single way to perform a skill,' Brinson wrote in her Teacher of the Year portfolio. 'This empowerment in their learning journey helps students discover their strengths, talents, and weaknesses and assess what materials or techniques will lead to their success.'
Wake said Brinson's approach is aligned with Kingswood's Montessori magnet theme, which emphasizes the importance of student choice in education.
In addition to teaching, Brinson leads a running club for students in the fall and spring, which culminates in students and parents running a 5K race to benefit a community organization.
She also organizes the school's annual Walk to School day to promote safety and family engagement, as well as the school's annual Kids Heart Challenge campaign to support the American Heart Association.
Brinson was also recognized as being a champion for learners with special needs. She travels with her students to cheer them on as they compete in the Special Olympics each year.
'Macy crafts lessons that are not only engaging, but also thoughtfully adapted to meet the needs of all my learners,' Kim Eason, a special education teacher at Kingswood, said in a news release. 'She fosters a supportive and close environment where all students are encouraged to participate.
'Her dedication to making sure no child is left behind combined with her ability to bring out the potential in each student exemplifies what it means to be a truly exceptional teacher.'
Brinson said she will use her new platform as Teacher of the Year to advocate for teacher recruitment and retention by supporting professional development and promoting respect for the profession.
'When we invest in teachers, we invest in every teacher that they touch,' Brinson told the crowd of fellow educators at the award ceremony.
Brinson gave her colleagues some advice before they return to their classrooms on Friday. She said they need to find time to take care of themselves.
'We pour our energy, our creativity, passion, and, most importantly, our heart, into our students every single day,' Brinson said. 'But the truth is that you can't work from an empty cup. I learned over the past two years that taking time for yourself is not selfish, it's necessary.'
Brinson was chosen among the Teacher of the Year winners for each individual school. The list was whittled to 10 finalists:
▪ Maureen Bard, a third-grade teacher at Lead Mine Elementary in Raleigh
▪ Brandy Garrett, a third-grade teacher at Millbrook Elementary in Raleigh
▪ Lauri Gasell, a seventh-grade math teacher at Davis Drive Middle in Cary
▪ Trevor Harris, a sixth-grade science teacher at North Garner Middle
▪ Rebekah Hower, an art teacher at Oberlin Middle in Raleigh
▪ Laurie Newhouse, a second-grade teacher at Woods Creek Elementary in Apex
▪ Ashley Parmley, a seventh-grade math teacher at Mills Park Middle in Cary
▪ Matthew Raines, a theater arts teacher at Knightdale High
▪ Allison Tonelli, a special education cross categorical resource program teacher at Hunter Elementary in Raleigh
Brinson's prize package includes a $1,000 check. Brinson also gets use of a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse, courtesy of Capital Chevrolet, for the next year.
Brinson will go on to compete in North Carolina's Teacher of the Year program
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