Hines Named Region 7 Teacher of the Year

By Joel Frady

In only her seventh year of teaching, Sherrie Hines of Ashe County Middle School has been complimented

with two awards this school year. She was named the school's Teacher of the Year, an award voted on by the school's staff, and was recently named the Region 7 Teacher of the Year by the North Carolina Middle School Association.

For the award, Hines had to be nominated based on criteria such as building team identity/cohesion; curriculum knowledge and integration; student achievement and success; utilization of a variety of instructional strategies; service projects and special team activities. The state is divided into eight regions.

For Hines, both awards have been "incredible.

"It's just a shock, because there's so many terrific people at this school," she said. "To get them both in the same year - it's just an incredible experience. I'm very humbled by it all."

Hines grew up in Sparta, where she still resides with her husband, Doyle. She originally went to Appalachian State University to study biology, and is certified to teach science and math. After graduating from ASU in 2001, she got a job teaching science at ACMS, but after two years she "got shifted into a math classroom and it stuck."

Hines also chose to teach at a middle school because the students "have such great attitudes, whether they're good or bad. They can always come up with something fast, so it keeps you on your toes and makes you feel young. I've always thought that if you wait until they get to high school, they've already made their decisions" about their education. "I just wanted to get them young enough to where I can tell them that they're all going to go to college or stop them from thinking that it's over. I want to encourage all of them to continue on."

Bobby Ashley, principal of ACMS, said that Hines is "absolutely stellar" and that the test scores of her students are "always at the top." He said that she requested tables instead of desks two years ago, and that "the kids are usually moving in some way, shape or form during the lesson."

He added that "she has a warm and inviting room" that is "a classroom that you're going to hear some noise in when you walk by" and that it's a "student-driven" classroom.

Ashley said that Hines' two awards validate each other, since they were "two different awards from two different methods of being recognized." He emphasized the award from the school and said "that's always an honor - to be recognized not by people from outside your area, but by people you actually work with."

Hines said that the awards have made her aware that she wants to stay in the classroom.

"I've had a lot of peers talk about taking jobs as administrators or librarians, and I just know that I want to spend [my career] in the classroom with the students," she said. She is currently working on her certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which she hopes to receive in the next year, and hopes to get a masters degree as well.

She cited the school as a reason for her success, and said she hopes "everybody that teaches has the opportunity to work in a place like this, because it will definitely keep them in the field.

"This is just an incredible school," said Hines. "It's like a family. If you have a problem you can go to anybody in the school and they're going to back you up. They help you out when you need help. It's a good environment, a good atmosphere to work in."