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Ģ������Ƶ has graduated two top teachers in the state.

Heather Smith ’15 was named the 2024 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Teacher of the Year and Abby Bentley MAEd ’23 took home the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching Empower Beginning Teacher of the Year Award. Both teach in Haywood County schools.

“Recruiting high-quality teachers for North Carolina’s K-12 schools is one of the most important things we do at Ģ������Ƶ – arguably, one that has potential to make the largest impact on the future of our state,” said Kim Winter, dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions. “Motivating and retaining high-quality teachers in our classrooms is our collective goal.”

Smith, a math teacher, worked at Canton Middle School and Clyde Elementary School before arriving at Waynesville Middle School in 2019.

“Mrs. Smith has an insatiable love of students that can be seen by all she encounters. Her competitive nature drives her to be the best for her students each day and she is never content with past accomplishments or service to others,” said Trevor Putnam, superintendent of Haywood County Schools.

Smith said that the true reward of teaching is to influence young kids and encourage them to thrive.

“Teaching is one of the professions where you have the privilege to directly have an impact on the future,” she said. “Beyond math, I’m teaching communication skills, perseverance, problem solving. I want to give them a future they might not know is possible. This is one the most rewarding professions.”

Smith was a catcher on the Ģ������Ƶsoftball team. She’s coached softball and serves as faculty sponsor for Haywood Middle School’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Smith uses FCA as an opportunity to connect her students to service opportunities in the community and within their school.

“I have baseball and softball players as students. When I’m in the classroom, I’m telling them you’re a student before an athlete. Being at Western, there’s standard that our student-athletes hold – you represent something bigger than yourself. I make sure they understand that,” Smith said.

As far as being named the state’s teacher of the year, which comes with a year’s sabbatical to provide services and support throughout the state on critical issues facing public education, Smith said she wants to use her platform to uplift the western region of North Carolina.  

“I’m excited and scared, but the process is not about me,” she said. “I get the wonderful opportunity sit in front of lawmakers and talk about what our students and teachers need. My platform is to uplift public education. There’s a lot of great things that are happening. I also want to promote math education. We use math every day, whether we realize it or not.”

Bentley came to Ģ������Ƶto pursue a master’s degree in comprehensive science education, which prepares graduates to teach high school science. Alongside classes in biology and earth science, Bentley also studied teaching methods, classroom design and leadership.

“I really enjoyed my time at Western,” Bentley said. “The small class sizes gave me immediate access to my professors and my adviser was always approachable and helpful. The program did a great job preparing me for my licensure exam – the whole semester of student teaching definitely prepared me for the classroom.”

After leaving Ģ������Ƶtwo years ago, Bentley landed a job teaching science at Pisgah High School.

“I landed in a town that was very similar to the town where I grew up. I found a group of people I really enjoyed being around. I want to provide them with opportunity, support and love in the classroom. They are not just a grade in a biology class,” Bentley said.  

In her nomination for the award, Bentley was described as an effective communicator who stands out for her commitment to covering standards, increasing student achievement and creating productive learning environments. It was also noted that Bentley uses her experience in the field to engage her kids with real life applications of classroom content. An administrator said, “her professional teaching efforts have made a huge impact on our school.”

“It’s good to feel validated,” Bentley said. “Teaching is an intense job and we work really hard. It’s good to be recognized for the effort.”