West Wake News

The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) has announced Tyler D’Angelo, an agriculture teacher at CE Jordan High School in Durham Public Schools, as the recipient of the NCCAT 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Career & Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year award. The ceremony took place on February 20th at Western Carolina University's John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

This accolade is now in its third year and aims to honor CTE educators who exhibit professional excellence. Educators from across North Carolina attended a week-long professional development session hosted by NCCAT prior to the award presentation.

D’Angelo's teaching efforts have enabled students to surpass state benchmarks, obtain industry-recognized credentials, and gain work-based learning experiences. A colleague praised him, stating, “Mr. D’Angelo embodies the qualities of an outstanding educator: dedication, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His impact extends far beyond the classroom, shaping the future leaders of our community and the agriculture industry.”

A student expressed confidence in D'Angelo's ongoing influence: “Though my time in high school is coming to an end, I feel confident that Mr. D’Angelo will continue to strengthen our program and prepare the next generation of students. He has inspired me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Agroecology from North Carolina State University starting next fall.”

Dr. M. Brock Womble, Executive Director of NCCAT, emphasized the importance of recognizing CTE educators: “At NCCAT, we are honored to celebrate and support the exceptional Career and Technical Education teachers who inspire and prepare the next generation of North Carolina’s workforce... This week of professional development recognizes their impact and equips them with valuable resources to continue fostering student success across our state.”

Alisha Pierri was named runner-up for her work as a Culinary Arts and Hospitality teacher at Brunswick County Schools' Center of Applied Science and Technology.

Finalists included David Dixon from Southside High School; Ashleigh Miller from Mount Pleasant Middle School; Travis Adkison from Chapel Hill High School; Fred Mason (in memoriam) from Columbus Career and College Academy; Misty Guthrie from Tucker Creek Middle School; Megan Frazier from JP Knapp Early College High School; Cathy Berrier from Ledford High School; Brooke Clapp from Southeast Guilford High School; Terry Drum from Hickory High School; Tracy Skeens from Crossroads Arts and Science Early College; Melissa Haigler from Smoky Mountain High School; Ashley Holloman from Corinth Holders High School; Nicole Extine from Madison High School; Stephanie Shaw from Mooresville Middle School; Miranda Wells from Topsail High School; Angie Byrne from JH Rose High School; Phyllis King from Lumberton Junior High School; Vernon Blackman from Midway High School; Sarah Johnson from Surry Central High School; Toby Sorrell from Swain County High School; Steven Ward from Watauga High School; Megan Gambill from West Wilkes High School.

The awards include a $5,000 cash prize for D'Angelo along with instructional supply funds for his school, membership in NCACTE for three years, and participation in a national conference as NC ACTE Teacher representative. The runner-up receives $2,000 plus NCACTE membership benefits.

NCCAT acknowledges sponsors such as Burroughs Wellcome Fund (Signature Sponsor), iCEV Multimedia (Gold Sponsor), RTI International (Silver Sponsor), among others contributing to this initiative.

NCCAT continues its mission by offering professional development programs aimed at enhancing teacher effectiveness statewide.