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Gaston County Schools names top teacher, principal of the year

Gavin Stewart
The Gaston Gazette

Gaston County Schools’ top teacher, principal and four other school employees recently earned the most prestigious honors presented by the school district.  

The 2021-2022 Gaston County Teacher of the Year is Staci Nezezon from Pinewood Elementary School.

Staci Nezezon was named the 2021-22 Teacher of the Year.

Tyler West was named Principal of the Year. Both recipients work at Pinewood Elementary School in Mount Holly. 

The 2021-2022 Gaston County Principal of the Year is Tyler West from Pinewood Elementary School.

Nezezon taught English as a Second Language in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for six years before joining Gaston County Schools in 2019 as a third-grade teacher at Pinewood. 

She has served as Pinewood’s literacy teacher and taught virtual classes this year for second grade. Nezezon studied childhood education at State University of New York at Buffalo, where she also earned a master’s degree in education through the college’s literacy specialist program. 

West, a Gastonia native and Ashbrook High School graduate, joined Gaston County Schools in 2005 as a third-grade teacher at Rankin Elementary School, where she was a finalist for New Teacher of the Year during the 2005-06 school year.

She was named the school’s Teacher of the Year for 2007-08. West was promoted to assistant principal at Bessemer City Middle School in 2012 and was appointed principal of Sherwood Elementary School in 2014 before transferring to Pinewood in 2018.

West holds an elementary education degree from UNC Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in education leadership from Appalachian State University.    

The 2021-2022 Gaston County Schools Teacher Assistant of the Year is Wanda Marlowe from Catawba Heights Elementary School. The "Teacher Assistants to Teachers" program will allow participants to earn the degree requirements necessary to make the transition from a teacher assistant to a classroom teacher. An information session will be held at 4 p.m., on Tuesday, April 5 at the Linda Rader Staff Development Center.

“The Excellence in Education program gives us an opportunity to bring attention to the extraordinary efforts of our teachers, administrators, and others, who go above and beyond expectations to inspire success and a lifetime of learning in our students,” Gaston County Schools Superintendent Jeff Booker wrote in a statement.  

The 2021-2022 Gaston County Schools New Teacher of the Year is Maddison Szucs from Robinson Elementary School. The award is named for the late Linda Israel Rader, who began the school district’s professional development program for teachers.

“We congratulate the award recipients and salute all educators in Gaston County Schools for what they do to support children.” 

Nezezon and West received a $100 gift card to The String Bean in Belmont and a certificate for a free oil change, courtesy of Courage Kia in Gastonia. 

The Pinewood duo will go on to represent Gaston County in the regional top educator competitions for 2021-22. 

The 2021-2022 Gaston County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year is Bridgette Best from Pleasant Ridge Elementary School.

Other award winners

Gaston County Schools also named the new teacher, teacher assistant, assistant principal and central office administrator of the year during a ceremony at CaroMont Health Park on Tuesday. 

The 2021-2022 Gaston County Schools Central Office Administrator of the Year is Brett Buchanan, director of Career and Technical Education (CTE).
  • Bridgette Best of Pleasant Ridge Elementary School was named the 2021-22 Gaston County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year. Best joined Gaston County Schools in 2016 as an instructional facilitator. She was promoted to assistant principal at Woodhill Elementary School in 2017 and transferred to Pleasant Ridge Elementary in 2019. Best earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in education from Virginia State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Wingate University. 
  • Maddison Szucs of Robinson Elementary School was named the 2021-22 Gaston County Schools New Teacher of the Year, which memorializes the late Linda Israel Rader, who began the school district’s professional development program for teachers. Szucs, a first-grade teacher, joined Gaston County Schools in January 2018 as a fourth-grade teacher at W.A. Bess Elementary School. Then a student at Appalachian State University, she completed her student teaching at Page Primary School in 2017. Szucs earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. 
  • Wanda Marlowe of Catawba Heights Elementary School was named the 2021-22 Gaston County Teacher Assistant of the Year. Marlowe volunteered throughout Gaston County Schools for 16 years. A graduate of Central Piedmont Community College, she accepted a second-grade teacher assistant position in 2017 and now serves as a kindergarten teacher assistant.  
  • Brett Buchanan, director of Career and Technical Education for the school district, was named the 2021-2022 Central Office Administrator of the Year. Buchanan joined Gaston County Schools in 2014. He began his career in education in 1999 as a CTE teacher in Burke County. Under his leadership as CTE director, Gaston County Schools currently ranks first in the state for the number of CTE credentials earned by students and first in the state for the percentage of students earning more than one CTE credential in a specific career field. Buchanan earned a bachelor’s degree in technology education from N.C. State University and a master’s degree in educational media from Appalachian State University. 

You can reach reporter Gavin Stewart at 704-869-1819 or on Twitter @GavinGazette.