NC agriculture educator Ryan Berglund earns recognition
Agriculture teacher and vocational education mentor Ryan Bergen has been named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Wake County Public School System. Photo Credit: Wake County Public School System
Congratulations to Ran Bergland, a teacher and vocational mentor from Wake County, North Carolina. He was named the 2024 Teacher of the Year by the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS).
Ryan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Mount Olive, a private institution located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Today, he teaches agriculture courses at Milbrook Magnet High School. He has taught at the campus since 2019.
At Milbrook High, Ryan has helped implement the school’s Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) program, which allows over 350 students to gain work-based learning experiences each year. Students in the program have started businesses, worked with local agriculture enterprises, and created their own service programs.
Over the course of his career, Ryan has learned a thing or two about working with young people. “Our students are able to build some amazing projects that show their true understanding of the objectives in the course,” he declares. “I always tell my students, ‘I will not be there in the real world to tell you how to build it, you will have to figure it out.’ This takes their understanding to a new level,” he continues.
Before becoming a teacher, Ryan was a professional welder and equipment fabricator. In fact, he is an AWS-certified welding inspector. That prior experience benefits his students greatly. He helps them achieve their welding certification, which industry professionals say is equal to passing the bar exam and becoming a lawyer. The school district reports that 64 students have become certified welders under Ryan’s mentorship.
As Teacher of the Year, Ryan will have the opportunity to participate in the Go Global NC international study program in the Netherlands during the summer of 2025. The trip is sponsored by the Dan Royster Memorial Teacher Award, in honor of a former WCPSS science teacher. In addition, Ryan will receive an engraved award, a $100 gift card to Angus Barn, a $1,000 check from sponsors, a weekend stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, a $100 Amazon gift card, and autographed hockey gear donated by the Carolina Hurricanes. He will also have the use of a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, compliments of Capital Chevrolet, for the next year.
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Music educator Louise Smith named 2024 Mississippi Teacher of the Year
Middle school music educator Louise Smith has been named the 2024 Mississippi State Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Gautier Middle School
I am always excited to share the story of an exceptional educator who has been honored for their work in the classroom. One of these is Louise Smith, an instrumental music teacher from Gautier, Mississippi. She has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.
Louise teaches seventh and graders at Gautier Middle School in Gautier. She has worked in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District for 22 years. The honored educator passionately believes that music literacy is essential to literacy in general. And her work shows this passion. Because of her commitment to teaching young people to read music, her students have achieved success at regional and state levels.
Raised by a single mother of Filipino descent, Louise credits her family and her teachers, particularly a college band director she met at a high school band clinic, with her success as an educator. She encourages teachers to recognize their importance in the lives of children. She says being a teacher is not an easy job, but she knows the impact she has on students and will always advocate for them.
Her selection as the 2024 Mississippi is not the only recognition Louise has earned. She was featured on the cover of NEA’s magazine in their August, 2020, issue, with an accompanying story entitled “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma.” The article detailed her work dealing with teacher stress and mental health. Furthermore, in May, 2021, US News and World Report profiled her as one of the professionals who made a difference for her students during the pandemic.
Louise earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2002 and her Master’s degree in Administration and Leadership in 2005, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher. In addition, Louise is an alumnus of the National Education Association (NEA) Teacher Leadership Initiative, and she has served as a state coach.
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Texas STEM teacher Krystle Moos named TAS 2024 Outstanding Science Educator
Texas science teacher Krystle Moos has been named the 2024 Outstanding Texas Educator by the Texas Academy of Science. Photo Credit: Texas Academy of Science
There are many outstanding educators working in public schools in Texas. One of them is Krystle Moos, a science teacher in Waco. She has been named the 2024 Outstanding Texas Educator by the Texas Academy of Science (TAS).
Krystle teaches at Midway Highway School. There she teaches courses in Chemistry Advanced Placement Chemistry. She has also served as the University Interscholastic League Science Coach for the past five years, with students who have gone on to the state level in each of the past two years. Her career as a secondary level science educator spans 17 years.
The daughter of a science educator, Krystle possesses a passion for uncovering science in the world around her. She brings this passion into the classroom through hands-on lab experiments and lessons while building students’ confidence in working through complex concepts. In addition, Krystle mentors student teachers through the Professional Development School partnership with Baylor University. Additionally, she is a teacher leader for a free professional development program offered to AP Chemistry teachers called APTeach. The program helps to showcase strategies to improve student learning.
Her recognition by TAS is not the only honor that Krystle has received. She has been named the Texas Region 12 Teacher of the Year; the Midway Independent School District Teacher of the Year; and Associated Chemistry Teacher of Texas 2022 Guest Speaker. In October 2023, Krystle was selected as a Texas state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
Krystle earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York in 2007. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Baylor University in 2023. Additionally, she is a National Board Certified Teacher.
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Adrianna Swearingen named Florida’s 2024 Teacher of the Year
Florida Media Specialists Adrianna Swearingen has been named her state’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. Photo Credit: Florida State Department of Education
Any campus that has an exceptional Teacher Librarian on their staff is a very fortunate school. A knowledgable and innovative Media Specialist is an invaluable resource for both students and colleagues. In her elementary school, Adrianna Swearingen is exactly such a resource. In fact, she is so accomplished she has been named the 2024 Florida State Teacher of the Year.
Adrianna teaches at Northside Elementary School in Bay County. She has served as the school’s Media Specialist since 2021. In that role, she has been a major reason why the students in her school have increased their English Language learning gains by 21 percentage points, with the learning gains for the lowest students showing growth of 41 percentage points. That’s huge! In addition to this, Adrianna works with her campus Technology Club, the Lego Club, and the Yearbook Committee.
In the prior seven years, when she was a classroom teacher, Adriana worked with both kindergartners and fourth graders. She helped her students run morning broadcasts, she pioneered the Accelerated Reader Program, and she cultivated an environment of confidence among her young charges.
She has other work experiences, too. For example, before she became a teacher, she trained with her dog, Mako, to be a therapy service team. In this role, she and her dog attended events and volunteered at schools, retirement homes, and colleges with Love Dog Adventures through Pet Partners.
“My message for not only the teachers here in my county, but the entire state of Florida is to know that you are enough, and you matter,” declares Adrianna. “And we are doing amazing things in education. We are game changers!” she continued.
Adrianna earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University, Panama City, in 2015. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida in 2021.
