From left, Midway Middle Assistant Principal Tiffany Hofland, teacher Michelle Herring, and Vevlyn Lowe, Simple Gifts Fund Teacher Grant Programs coordinator. Herring is one of seven teacher recipients who was presented with a travel scholarship grant of $10,000.
Chuck Thompson | Sampson Independent
A record number of teachers from Sampson County will have the opportunity to visit some of their favorite places, all thanks to the Simple Gifts Fund Teacher Grant Program sponsored by Anonymous Trust.
The Simple Gifts Fund provides grant opportunities for educators in rural eastern North Carolina school systems. The program is intended to send teachers on trips both domestically, and some internationally, to visit historical places, museums, and other historical, architectural, and social learning centers, and to bring back their experiences to share with students.
The grants are awarded to teachers through an application process meant to demonstrate a teacher’s love for learning. Teachers must also meet a plethora of requirements to be considered, such as having taught school since 2022, submitting a proposal in detail to demonstrate the teacher is knowledgeable about the subject matter and has the skill necessary to complete the travel project. Each teacher also had to submit a 50-word summary of the proposed project, along with a valid copy of their North Carolina Teaching license. The foundation pays the $10,000 grant award directly to the winners.
In total, seven Sampson teachers are being awarded grants. They are Angela Burley of Union Elementary School, Michelle Herring of Midway Middle, Shannon Jones of Union Elementary School, Cameron Knowles of Lakewood High School, Angela Martin of Hobbton High School, Jennifer Roscoe of Midway High School and Carla Sutton of Hobbton High School.
Margaret Turlington, Simple Gifts coordinator, said this was the largest number of teachers from Sampson County that have ever been awarded.
“The first year, we had six teacher recipients, and we have never had more than that until now,” noted Turlington. “In 2025, Simple Gifts Fund awarded the most summer fellowships since its inception in 2012. Seeing these seven Sampson County educators who desire to pursue summer career growth, undertake new learning adventures, and be committed to excellence is inspiring.”
One of the seven teachers awarded through the Simple Gifts program, Michelle Herring, of Midway Middle School, is traveling to Washington, D.C., New Orleans and then on to California.
Vevlyn Lowe, the Simple Gifts Fund teacher grant program coordinator, presented Herring with her travel scholarship fund check in the media room of Midway Middle School recently, with Midway Middle Assistant Principal Tiffany Holfland there to support and applaud her.
“I have known Michelle since we were children,” said Hofland. “We started our careers here. One thing I’ve always noticed, and known, about Michelle is that she has always put her students first, she works hard, comes to work every day with a smile on her face and has something positive to say about her co-workers, and I’m just very proud that she stepped up to put in some extra work and is willing to go out and travel to bring some of the world directly to our students.”
Herring will begin her travels at the Lincoln Memorial, followed by the Holocaust Museum and Air and Space Museum. From there, she will travel to The French Quarter, and Saint Louis Cathedral, in New Orleans. Next, she will head to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, on to Disney Land in Anaheim, and, finally, to the historical federal prison Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay where she will wrap up her educational travels and head back home.
During her travels, she will be wearing a 360-degree camera that will record her tours for her students to experience when she returns.
“My ultimate goal is to educate and encourage students to visit these places themselves one day, but financial restraints keep many from doing so; this way they can put on the virtual reality goggles and walk through the tour as I walk through.”
Herring’s trip will take about three and a half weeks, and she will travel by train from one place to the next.
“There’s other places I would like to see,” said Herring, “but I don’t think it will be possible in the schedule, but I am just so thankful I get to do this and bring back this neat information for my next year students.”