Dr. Karen Sumner, deputy executive director for NCCAT, talks excitedly about teacher Rebekah Byrd’s finalist certificate during Monday night’s Clinton City Board of Education meeting.
                                 Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent

Dr. Karen Sumner, deputy executive director for NCCAT, talks excitedly about teacher Rebekah Byrd’s finalist certificate during Monday night’s Clinton City Board of Education meeting.

Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent

<p>Rebekah Byrd shares the moment of becoming a 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund N.C. Beginning Teacher of the Year finalist with Dr. Jim Simeon, former Clinton City Schools superintendent and vice president of the Development Foundation of NCCAT .</p>
                                 <p>Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent</p>

Rebekah Byrd shares the moment of becoming a 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund N.C. Beginning Teacher of the Year finalist with Dr. Jim Simeon, former Clinton City Schools superintendent and vice president of the Development Foundation of NCCAT .

Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent

<p>An ecstatic Rebekah Byrd, Butler Avenue first-grade teacher, shakes the hand of Lionel Gruslin from Empower, who gifted her $250 toward her retirement.</p>
                                 <p>Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent</p>

An ecstatic Rebekah Byrd, Butler Avenue first-grade teacher, shakes the hand of Lionel Gruslin from Empower, who gifted her $250 toward her retirement.

Michael B. Hardison | Sampson Independent

Rebekah Byrd, a new teacher in Clinton City Schools, basked in a spotlight shined on her Monday night, when she was honored for becoming a finalist for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s (NCCAT’s) 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund N.C. Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.

Byrd was recognized in front of a packed house during the city Board of Education’s first meeting of the new year. The honor celebrated her exceptional contributions to teaching as a profession and her impact on students and the community.

To further highlight this achievement, the board held a presentation where Byrd was awarded her NCCAT finalist certificate by NCCAT’s Deputy Executive Director Dr. Karen Sumner.

“On behalf of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, it is my privilege to announce that Rebekah Byrd has been selected as a finalist for the NCCAT 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year Award,” Sumner said. “The Beginning Teacher of the Year Award was established to celebrate the creativity, resilience and dedication of first year teachers across North Carolina. Each year, more than 7,000 new educators enter classrooms across our state, and this award honors those who exemplify the best of the profession while addressing the unique challenges of beginning teachers.”

Byrd’s acknowledgement was two-fold — in addition to the NCCAT certificate, she was also presented a check for $250 from Empower, an investment company.

“Empower supports North Carolina educators in their retirement investment plans,” Sumner said. “I am so thankful for Empower’s support of education in North Carolina and investment in our future via beginning teachers.”

Sumner also mentioned that being able to highlight Byrd as an NCCAT finalist was extra special for her, as it was a former Clinton High teacher that helped bring about the teacher program.

“At NCCAT, we are committed to advancing teaching as an art and a profession, and we are thrilled to celebrate Ms. Byrd as a shining example of this mission,” she asserted. “It is truly an honor to be here in Clinton City Schools where Jean Powell, the 1983 North Carolina Teacher of the Year, first shared the idea for NCCAT. And all these years later, it is thanks to a teacher in your school district that we get to celebrate Rebekah today, which is really exciting.

“So I say thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate this outstanding educator,” Sumner added. “We appreciate Clinton City Schools for recognizing Rebekah and the NCCAT Beginning Teacher of the Year program.”

Sumner wasn’t the only one who spoke highly of Byrd’s achievements. City schools superintendent Dr. Wesley Johnson recognized her as well, and shared a tidbit on what Byrd becoming a finalist means for the first-grade teacher, including how trips to Greensboro were a part of it.

“Congratulations to Rebekah Byrd, year two teacher at Butler Avenue,” Johnson said. “She has been selected as a finalist,one of 27 in the state, for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund N.C. Beginning Teacher of the Year Award. She will participate in NCCAT’s Beginning Teacher of the Year Program, scheduled for March 24 to 28, at the Truist Leadership Center in Greensboro, and the state winner will be announced on Thursday evening March 27 at UNC Greensboro. Best of luck, Rebekah.”

Although the recognition was centered around Byrd, she didn’t share offer many words about the honor — instead, she simply smiled endlessly during the entire presentation, happy but seemingly humbled by the award.

While there was no speech, she did repeatedly recite one phrase to all that were part of this moment with her — a heartfelt “thank you.”

Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.