Highsmith Named Teacher of the Year
Katherine Highsmith,
global inquiry and design
teacher at Weddington Hills
Elementary School, was
named Cabarrus County
Schools (CCS) Teacher of
the Year in a ceremony on
Tuesday, April 9 th at Atrium
Health Northeast’s Hamrick
Theatre.
Highsmith began her
teaching career with CCS
in 2006 as an English
teacher at Mount Pleasant
High School and in 2010
transitioned to teaching
art. In 2017, she had the
opportunity to combine
her passions for teaching
and global awareness into the global inquiry and design teacher at
Weddington Hills Elementary School. Highsmith was presented with
the opportunity to develop her own curriculum for this course and
infuse global awareness throughout her school.
Highsmith earned a bachelor of arts degree in English, Art and
Education from Salem College and is a National Board-Certified
Teacher. As a teacher leader, she has served in the following roles:
Professional Learning Community Chair, School Improvement Team
8 May/june 2019 • Parent Teacher Magazine
Member, Response to Intervention Committee Chair and Positive
Behavior Interventions and Support Committee Member. Highsmith
has also organized multiple global nights and service projects for her
school.
In the past, Highsmith was named the Mount Pleasant High School
Teacher of the Year and was previously a Teacher of the Year Finalist
in 2010. She has received grants from the Cabarrus County Education
Foundation and the Bright Ideas Grant program.
According to Weddington Hills Elementary School Principal Chasity
Dolan, “Kate has a natural ability to connect with students and make
learning meaningful to them. Her lessons are well-planned, and she
links prior learning to new curricular information. She implements
varied strategies in order to reach the range of student abilities
in her classroom. Her students, as well as her peers, confirm her
exceptional qualities as a leader and motivator. Moreover, Kate has
a natural ability to communicate well with others and her global
mission and vision are evident in all that she does both personally
and professionally. HerHis commitment to success is unmatched, and
she is always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. Kate’s
dedication and work ethic paired with her patience and compassion
have an overarching impact in our school and community and for that
we are very fortunate.”
Congratulations to our 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year, Kate
Highsmith!