Neuse Charter School is humming a joyful tune this week as one of its teachers was named as a semi-finalist for the Music and Arts 2017 Music Educator of the Year Award.
Leah Williams, NCS middle and high school band and music teacher, was selected as a top 25 semi-finalist from thousands of applications nationwide.
Williams, a 15-year, veteran music teacher in Johnston County, has been with Neuse Charter School for the past three years. She started the middle and high school band program which now boasts more than 90 students, nearly 10% of the school’s overall enrollment. She also helped launch a successful musical theater program for the school producing the Annie Jr. in 2016 and the Wizard of Oz in 2017 and earning a Bright Ideas Grant from the N.C. Electric Co-Op, the first of its kind awarded for a performing arts program.
“Leah is an exemplary model of the kind of teachers we have working at Neuse Charter School,” said Susan Pullium, executive director. “Her passion for music is evident in the time she dedicates to our students and community. This nomination not only sets our school apart as a leader in education on a national scale, but it reflects on the caliber of those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to advancing our students in all aspects of life. Leah is a wonderful teacher, role model and leader. This award could not go to a more deserved individual.”
Williams was excited and humble about the news of her semi-final placement.
“This would mean a lot to our community and students because I am only an extension of them,” Williams said. “I could not have created everything by myself.”
Finalists spanned states from Maryland to Vermont, California to Georgia. Winners will be announced at Music & Arts’ Annual Midwest Reception on December 21st in Chicago, Illinois.
