— information courtesy of Vance County Schools
Vance County Schools honors the 2025 Educators of Excellence: Brian Schlessinger of Vance County Early College as Teacher of the Year, Simone Harris of Vance County Middle as Beginning Teacher of the Year, LaVonda Williams of Pinkston Street Elementary as Assistant Principal of the Year, and Dr. Carnetta Thomas of E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy as Principal of the Year.
The awards were presented at the district’s annual Excellence in Education banquet, which was held on Wednesday, June 11 at the Henderson County Club. The banquet honored teachers, staff and administrators from across the district, representing their respective schools.
Schlessinger and Thomas will represent Vance County Schools will advance to the regional competitions for Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year, respectively.
Schlessinger was named Vance County Schools 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year. Schlessinger earned his Bachelor of Education in Secondary Social Studies from PennWest Edinboro in Edinboro, PA. He earned a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from Grand Canyon University. He has been in education for 10 years and is the Lead Social Studies Teacher at Vance County Early College. He shared a meaningful quote by Julia Child that captured his perspective: “The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile.”
Beginning Teacher of the Year
Harris, a Vance County Middle School science teacher, was recognized as the 2025-2026 Beginning Teacher of the Year. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology Education from Church Teachers’ College in Mandeville, Jamaica. She has been with Vance County Schools since 2023, but has 10 years of experience as an educator. She shared, “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this recognition. It affirms my passion for teaching and my commitment to inspiring students to explore, question, and discover the wonders of science every day.”
Assistant Principal of the Year
Williams is the VCS 2025-2026 Assistant Principal of the Year and serves as an Assistant Principal at Pinkston Street Elementary. She has a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Mt. Olive and a Master’s degree in School Administration from North Carolina State University. Williams began her career in education in 2009 with Vance County Schools. She strives to be impactful and make a difference with a quote from Maya Angelou at the forefront of all she does: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Principal of the Year
Thomas, principal at E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy, was recognized as the 2025-2026 Principal of the Year. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from North Carolina Central University. She earned her Doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. She has been in education since 2001 and was the District Principal of the Year in 2018-2019. She shared a quote from Jack Welch that guides her: “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
2025-2026 Vance County Schools Teacher of the Year Nominees:
- Nino Robles, AdVance Academy
- Tamekia Thompson, Aycock Elementary
- Fe McCoy, Carver Elementary
- Ebony Jones, Clarke Elementary
- Patricia Roberson, Dabney Elementary
- Amber Baker, E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy
- Orlinda Terry, E.O. Young Elementary
- Christian Alexander, L.B. Yancey Elementary
- Tina Terry, New Hope Elementary
- Jennivise Lindsay, Pinkston St. Elementary
- Christian Salinas, STEM Early High
- Brian Schlessinger, Early College
- Bobbi Parks, Vance County High
- Len Manley, Vance County Middle
- Penny Britty, Vance Virtual Village
- Mary Landis, Zeb Vance Elementary
2025-2026 Vance County Schools Beginning Teacher of the Year Nominees:
- Gay Charisse, Advance Academy
- Hadassah Dixon, Aycock Elementary
- Hailey Stroud, Carver Elementary
- Shakera Roach-Thompson, Clarke Elementary
- Natasha Williams, Dabney Elementary
- Constance Seward, E.M. Rollins STEAM Academy
- Marcia Cobbs, E.O. Young Elementary
- Kimberley Reid, L.B. Yancey Elementary
- JaCari Diggs, New Hope Elementary
- Kaylom Crawley, Pinkston St. Elementary
- Alexandra De Guzman, STEM Early High School
- Ashley Bolling, Vance County Early College
- Cortez Jones, Vance County High
- Simone Harris, Vance County Middle School
- Munirah Ali, Vance Virtual Village
- Jeffrey Bagagnan, Zeb Vance Elementary
2025-2026 Vance County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year Nominees:
- McShell Edmonds, Vance County High
- Facetia Branch, Vance County Middle
- LaVonda Williams, Pinkston Street Elementary
- Harold Thompson, Zeb Vance Elementary
2025-2026 Vance County Schools Principal of the Year Nominees:
- Shannon Bullock, L.B. Yancey Elementary
- Carnetta Thomas, EM Rollins STEAM Academy
- Joy Suther, Zeb Vance Elementary
- Letitia Fields, New Hope Elementary
- Edward Ortega, STEM Early High
