JCPS 2026 Teacher Of The Year Named

SMITHFIELD, NC – On April 21, 2026, James Johnson was named Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) 2026 Teacher of the Year during the 32nd Annual Flame for Learning Award Ceremony. 

Johnson was one of 20 semifinalists who were honored at the celebration.

Johnson teaches Agricultural Mechanics at North Johnston High and was one of four Flame for Learning Award finalists, which included Moesha Gonzales of Swift Creek Middle, Lena LeBoeuf of Swift Creek Elementary, and Rebecca Reeves of Smithfield-Selma High. 

There were 218 nominations for this year’s title, representing 15 schools across the school district. Nearly all semifinalists were first-time nominees, underscoring the depth of outstanding educators across the JCPS team. Nominated by colleagues and administrators, the semifinalists advanced through a blind judging process that included an interview phase and submission of classroom best practices for review.

Held at The Barn at Broadslab in Benson, the event was hosted in partnership with the Johnston County Coalition of Chambers. Friends, family, colleagues, district administrators, board members, sponsors, and stakeholders gathered for the prestigious award ceremony. The event celebrated these exceptional educators and their steadfast commitment to providing JCPS students with a high-quality education.

The semifinalists and their guests were thanked and congratulated by several speakers, including  William Marshall, the 2025 Flame for Learning Award recipient. Marshall is an American History and Economics, and Personal Finance teacher at West Johnston High.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Terri Sessoms, who was the first Flame for Learning Award recipient and a retired JCPS educator with 32 years of experience. Sessoms served the school district as a teacher, administrator, and literacy/curriculum coach across all grade levels. She also served as the JCPS Public Information Officer and on the Johnston County Board of Education from 2018 to 2022, including a tenure as Vice Chair.

Learning to Do, Doing to Learn

2026 Teacher of the Year James Johnson believes in the National FFA Organization’s motto: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn. As an Agricultural Mechanics teacher at North Johnston High, Johnson prepares his students for real-world careers in the trades with a classroom that is a fully functioning welding and fabrication shop. His approach gives them hands-on experience in the field, ensuring they can be successful in the industry of their choice after high school. They also gain familiarity with more than 140 tools, and students can earn valuable certifications that will help them as they decide on a career path.

“My goal is to build confidence, encourage learning through doing, and help students discover rewarding career paths,” Johnson remarked.

Finalists’ Best Practices Shine Brightly

Rebecca Reeves is a World History, IB History, and Theory of Knowledge teacher at Smithfield-Selma High. Reeves’s best practice was titled, Humanized Inquiry: An engagement-driven, experience-based approach to deep historical thinking. Humanized Inquiry is a blended instructional model that uses storytelling, experiential learning, and structured analytical scaffolding to transform students into more confident, critical thinkers.

“When my students step into the shoes of medieval architects constructing castles or debate as Enlightenment thinkers, they are not just learning facts,” Reeves said. “They are learning how to understand perspectives, motivations, and emotions. They begin to practice empathy through history.”

Lena LeBoeuf teaches kindergarten at Swift Creek Elementary. She submitted her best practice entitled, “Conversation Cafe’- Increasing Comprehension Through Conversation, which deepens the level of students’ communication and comprehension skills through purposeful discussion of literature read aloud to them daily.

“With each session, students are enhancing valuable life skills that can be applied beyond our classroom walls. The climate in my classroom is built upon respect and encouragement of one another, which is the foundation of our classroom community,” LeBoeuf remarked.

Moesha Gonzales is a sixth-grade math teacher at Swift Creek Middle and submitted Learning Without Walls: Transformations, Activities, and Problems that Matter as her best practice. Learning Without Walls combines classroom transformations, hands-on activities, small groups, stations, and problem-based learning to create a learning experience students remember even after the topic ends. 

“The practice puts students at the center of learning, and they get to move, talk, collaborate, and test ideas that apply to the concepts being taught in situations that provide a real-life feel,” Gonzales said.

Johnson will represent JCPS in the regional competition for North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year.

20 Semifinalists Recognized as Exceptional Educators

Each year, the Flame for Learning Awards Celebration recognizes educators who exemplify the best of JCPS and demonstrate the utmost dedication to their students and their school communities.  The Class of 2026 continues that legacy and inspires those around them through leading by example.

The 20 semifinalists for the 2026 Flame for Learning Award:

• Oscar Anasco – Smithfield-Selma High
• Hermilo Arbuyes, Jr. – Cleveland High
• Elma Arquillano – Selma Elementary
• Courtney Barefoot – Meadow School
• Amanda Dauphinais – Innovation Academy
• Moesha Gonzales – Swift Creek Middle
• Darby High – Clayton High
• Dorothy Holley – West Johnston High
• Natalia Jaramillo – Cooper Elementary
• James Johnson – North Johnston High
• Alexa Knight – Meadow School
• Meagan Leas – Archer Lodge Middle
• Lena LeBoeuf – Swift Creek Elementary
• Tracy Mitchell – East Clayton Elementary
• Erica Morse – Polenta Elementary
• Rebecca Reeves – Smithfield-Selma High
• John Ross Robertson – South Johnston High
• Carlotta Stillings – Selma Elementary
• Cori Walker – South Johnston High
• Ana Zuniga – Selma Elementary