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Two Western NC Teachers Awarded Meta-Supported Kenan Fellowships to Connect Students to Community and…

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2026-27 Kenan Fellows pose in front of the Museum of the Cherokee People at the Summer Institute

Jul 10, 2026

36 Teachers, One Week, Career-Changing Professional Development in NC

CULLOWHEE — Thirty-six teachers from North Carolina and Virginia spent the week of June 22-26 in the mountain town of Cullowhee, and many of them left saying the experience changed how they see themselves as educators. That’s the goal of the Summer Institute, which is the first of three professional development sessions the 2026-27 Kenan…
Daphne McCoy, Amy Edwards, Zack Josker, and Mi-che Lassiter

May 14, 2026

Four Teachers Awarded First Kenan Fellowships in the Southeast Through Hampton Roads Workforce Council Partnership

RALEIGH, N.C. ⸺ The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership is awarding its first fellowships in Virginia through a new partnership with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, immersing four teachers in the steel and shipbuilding industries. Four teachers, two from North Carolina and two from Virginia, have been awarded 2026–27 Kenan Fellowships supported by the…
Buncombe County Schools Teacher Karri Hampton headshot and quote

May 12, 2026

Buncombe County Teacher Awarded Kenan Fellowship to Help Students Build Resilience Through Nature and Storytelling

RALEIGH, N.C. ⸺ Kerri Hampton, a teacher at North Buncombe Middle School in Buncombe County Schools, has been awarded a 2026–27 Kenan Fellowship to continue expanding Ready, Set, Resilience, a research-backed program that uses nature-based storytelling to help students build resilience. Hampton teaches 7th-grade English Language Arts at North Buncombe Middle School. She is one…
Emily DiNoto and Breanna Morris headshots

May 12, 2026

From the Mountains to the Coast: Fellowships Connect Teachers From Opposite Ends of NC to Industry and Workforce Pathways

RALEIGH, N.C. ⸺ Two North Carolina teachers have been awarded 2026–27 Kenan Fellowships supported by the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science Board of Trustees and the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership Board of Advisors, each taking on a project that reflects the breadth of opportunity available to students across the state. Emily…
Shelby Lewis and Rachel Culbreth headshots

May 11, 2026

Two Western NC Teachers Awarded Meta-Supported Kenan Fellowships to Connect Students to Community and Sustainability

RALEIGH, N.C. ⸺ Two western North Carolina teachers have been awarded 2026–27 Kenan Fellowships supported by Meta, each working alongside a different organization to deepen their connection to the community they serve. Together, Culbreth and Lewis are two of 36 teachers awarded Kenan Fellowships this year. Rachel Culbreth, a teacher at Polk Central Elementary School…