The Granville County Board of Education announced winners of the Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year at its May meeting. Samala Dawson-Robinson, a teacher at G.C. Hawley Middle School in Creedmoor, and Courtney Currin, principal at Tar River Elementary are this year’s honorees.
GCPS Human Resources Director Jamar Perry announced the winners during a virtual presentation. Each school puts forth the name of one teacher to vie for the honor of teacher of the year. District principals nominate their colleagues to be considered for the award.
Dawson-Robinson, a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher, received a trophy and flowers from Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean the day after the announcement, in addition to $1,000 from the Granville Ed Foundation. Two runners-up each receive a trophy, as well as a $500 check from the Granville Ed Foundation.
McLean commended Dawson-Robinson for her accomplishments. “We are sure that Samala Dawson-Robinson will be a shining star among the others recognized across the country for this top honor. We are proud of her and all she represents,” McLean stated.
Board Chair David Richardson “I am so proud of all of these teachers and the dedication and love they have for their students. I know that Ms. Dawson-Robinson will represent our district well in this coming year as a true ambassador for our county and the profession itself.”
Currin has been a principal since 2015. She graduated from the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program at Meredith College in 2004 and taught English for eight years at J.F. Webb High School and got a master’s degree in school administration in 2012. She was an assistant principal at Northern Granville Middle School before being named principal at Butner-Stem Elementary in 2015. At Tar River, she is leading the school’s transition to project-based learning in a competency-based education framework.
School districts from across the state choose a principal of the year (POY). District winners compete for state-level honors, and the state winner goes on to the national competition.
McLean congratulated Currin for being selected. “We are proud of you and thank you for your service to our students and leadership at Tar River Elementary School,” she said.