Gaston County Schools honors outstanding educators
Wells Fargo presents annual Evening of Excellence ceremony
Below is biography information for
each award recipient:
Four employees captured the most
prestigious awards presented by
Gaston County Schools during the
2019 Evening of Excellence ceremony.
The program sponsored by Wells
Fargo Bank was held Monday, May 6
at the Gaston Country Club.
n Gaston County Teacher of the
Year
The 2019-2020 Gaston County Teacher
of the Year is Kody Kubbs from South
Point High School. The award is
presented by Wells Fargo Bank.
South Point High School teacher Kody
Kubbs was named the Wells Fargo
Teacher of the Year, and Laura Dixon
of W.A. Bess Elementary School
earned the Wells Fargo Principal
of the Year recognition. They will
represent Gaston County in the
regional competitions for 2019-2020.
Kubbs teaches United States history
at South Point and is the school’s
basketball and cross country coach.
He is a graduate of Ohio Northern
University with a bachelor’s degree in
integrated social studies. Kubbs has
been a teacher for 12 years, and he
previously taught at Belmont Middle
School for four years.
Dan Barber of Gardner Park
Elementary School received the
Assistant Principal of the Year
distinction, and Rebekka Powers, chief
accountability officer, was named the
Central Office Administrator of the
Year.
As longtime sponsor of the
recognition program, Wells Fargo
presented to the Teacher of the Year
and Principal of the Year a handcrafted Wells Fargo Bank Educator Apple
and $1,250 to use for professional advancement. Each Principal of the
Year and Teacher of the Year finalist received $250 to use for professional
advancement.
The Evening of Excellence ceremony served as the kickoff for Teacher
Appreciation Week in Gaston County Schools. The program pays tribute to
the school system’s most outstanding teachers, administrators, and certified
support staff for their exceptional leadership and many contributions. The
award nominees, finalists, and recipients are considered to be among the top
public school employees in the state.
Superintendent of Schools W. Jeffrey Booker said, “The Evening of Excellence
ceremony 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. We
congratulate the award recipients and applaud all educators in Gaston County
Schools for what they do every day to help children.”
Booker added, “We would like to thank Wells Fargo for sponsoring this
important employee recognition program again this year. Wells Fargo is a
significant community partner for Gaston County Schools, and we sincerely
appreciate the bank’s continued support of the Evening of Excellence
ceremony so we can honor our educators in a very special way.”
The awards ceremony will air on Spectrum Cable Channel 21 (the Education
Station) the week of May 20-26 at 8:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and
10:00 p.m. each day. The ceremony will air at other times throughout the
summer, and it will be available on the Gaston County Schools website and
YouTube channel.
n Gaston County Principal of the
Year
The 2019-2020 Gaston County
Principal of the Year is Laura Dixon
from W.A. Bess Elementary School.
The award is presented by Wells
Fargo Bank.
A veteran educator with 32 years of experience, Dixon earned a bachelor’s
degree in education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been the principal
at W.A. Bess for 10 years, and she previously served as a teacher, assistant
principal, and principal at Grier Middle School.
n Assistant Principal of the Year
The 2019-2020 Gaston County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year is Dan
Barber from Gardner Park Elementary School.
Barber has 15 years of experience in education. He is a graduate of the
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a bachelor’s degree in English
and psychology, and he earned a master’s degree in education from Tufts
University. He previously served as an instructional facilitator at H.H. Beam
Elementary School and the assistant principal at Woodhill Elementary School.
He has been at Gardner Park for two years.
n Central Office Administrator of the Year
The 2019-2020 Gaston County Schools Central Office Administrator of the
Year is Rebekka Powers, chief accountability officer.
Powers earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mars Hill College
and a master’s degree in executive leadership studies from Gardner-Webb
University. She has 14 years of experience in education. Powers previously
taught at Southwest Middle School and John Chavis Middle School and served
as an assistant principal at East Gaston High School. Before being named
the chief accountability officer last year, she served as a data integration
specialist.
Parent Teacher Magazine • Mary/June 2019 • 5