RALEIGH—Three North Carolina teachers will receive Governor’s Educator Discovery Awards to improve their classrooms. Governor Roy Cooper, along with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, announced Shirley Pyon of Mills Park, Julie-Kate Hazelrigg of Garner, and Genal West from Watauga as the winners of the $1,000 award.

As part of the award, the teachers will be allowed to pursue a professional development experience of their choice. This is the third round of teachers to receive this award, and Governor Roy Cooper says in a press release, that the experience will "give teachers more opportunities to develop their skills" and "benefit those teachers and their students for years to come."

Shirley Pyon, STEM educator from Mills Park Elementary, will attend the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Creative Constructor Lab. There, she will learn techniques to equip her students with project-based learning activities.

Julie-Kate Hazelrigg, theatre educator at Garner Magnet High School chose to attend the Broadway Teacher’s Workshop in New York City. She will spend three days learning about theatre-education, the best ways to prepare fine arts students for college auditions, and how to connect high school theatre classes to the professional world.

Genal West, visual arts teacher at Watauga High School, will attend the North Carolina Art Education conference in Raleigh to learn more about modern art techniques, working styles, and project ideas.

Grants are issued by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), a non-profit operated out of the governor’s office. Board Chair Albert Eckel says that award recipients will be able to “apply classroom standards to real-world applications and increase the work-based learning opportunities available to their students.”

Teachers can apply for the next round of grants by submitting a proposal to the NCBCE Board before November 1. They must discuss details about their teaching experience and the event they wish to attend, explaining how the grant would enhance the learning of their students.