2022 NCCSS Award Winners

2022 Elementary School Teacher of the Year

Nakita Carson is presently in her 24th year as a 3rd-grade teacher at Walkertown Elementary School in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system. She received a BS in Elementary Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and a Masters in Reading Education from Appalachian State University. Her love for children can only be topped by her love of Social Studies! She has had a lifelong passion for Social Studies.

2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year

Patrick Vernon, son of two educators, is a 28 year veteran of the Alamance-Burlington School System. After spending his entire teaching career at the same school, Patrick made the decision for the 2021-22 school year to join the staff of his system’s new virtual school. At the new school he remains focused on continuing to hone the craft of teaching the online learners. He received his Bachelor & Masters degree from Elon University. Since 2002 he has had National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Social Studies-History. Find @ElonTeacher on social media to connect with Patrick.

2022 High School Teacher of the Year

Lawtnee Marie Frazier is a veteran Social Studies teacher, having started her career in the field of Education in 2007, serving as a substitute teacher for Durham Public Schools. In 2008 she completed her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. During her time in Georgia, she completed her Master's degree in Secondary Education from Mercer University (2012) and started her career as a Social Studies Teacher in Clayton County Public Schools in Jonesboro, Georgia (2008). Since then, Ms. Frazier has served as both a middle and high school Social Studies teacher, having had the opportunity to teach Social Studies in various schools across Metro Atlanta, as well as joining Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in 2018. Most recently, Ms. Frazier has served as a Social Studies teacher at Julius L. Chambers High School in Charlotte, NC.

Ms. Frazier has a personal love for all things related to History and a great passion for teaching. She currently serves as a Curriculum Writer for middle grades Social Studies with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Additionally, Ms. Frazier has previously participated as a NCSS annual conference attendee, a Georgia Social Studies conference attendee, a Georgia Social Studies Regional fair judge (Fulton County Schools), a Judge for National History Day (Charlotte, NC), and a recipient of the Abolitionist Teaching Network Grant (2020-2021). Outside of teaching and education, Lawtnee Frazier is a mother of 1, an avid reader, a short-story writer, enjoys traveling, a coffee enthusiast, and spends avid time with her family. One of Lawtnee's greatest joys, serving as a teacher, is knowing that she has played a vital role in the success of her students and seeing students she previously taught as accomplished adults today.

2022 Student Teacher of the Year

My name is Heather Parra, and I am honored to be selected as North Carolina Council for Social Studies Student Teacher of the year! I am a graduate of East Carolina University having earned my Bachelor’s degree in History and Religion. Currently, I am finishing my Master’s program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington concentrating in middle grade Social Studies Education. In 2019 I served in the Peace Corps, teaching English to middle grade students in Myanmar. I believe in a student-centered classroom including project and inquiry-based learning, collaboration, and discussion among students. My goal is to create an interactive and engaging Social Studies learning environment. This is the direction in which I intend to continue moving forward into my own classroom.

2022 Teacher Grant Winner

Gretchyn Bedard teaches World History and American History at Crossroads Arts & Science Early College in Statesville, North Carolina. She has been teaching social studies for eight years and has recently become a National Board Certified Teacher. Mrs. Bedard holds a Masters in the Art of Teaching from Russell Sage College after completing a bachelor's degree in Art History. One of the hallmarks of her classroom is sharing her love of history with her students through engaging and challenging lessons.

2022 Rho Kappa Scholarship Winner

Sarah Gonzalez is a student at Independence Senior High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sarah is involved in many clubs at Independence including Key Club, the National Honor Society, and the National Technical Honor Society. She is also president of Rho Kappa and is the Social Outreach Director of Tutorly Ed, an online tutoring website, all while staying within the top ten of her class. She plans on attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall to pursue a degree in Computer Science, with the hopes of becoming a software developer once she graduates.