Smithfield-Selma Future Educators Excel At National Competition

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — Smithfield-Selma High School students turned in an award-winning performance at the 2026 Educators Rising National Conference, earning multiple national honors while competing against more than 2,000 students from across the United States.

The conference, held June 20-23 in Portland, Oregon, brought together students pursuing careers in education to compete in events designed to showcase teaching skills, lesson planning, educational leadership and classroom innovation.

Under the direction of faculty advisor Suzanne Sweat, Smithfield-Selma students spent months preparing for the national competition. Throughout the school year, students researched instructional best practices, developed lesson plans, created classroom materials, practiced presentations and refined their interview and public speaking skills.

Their efforts paid off with several top national finishes.

National award recipients included:

• Ella Mercier — Third Place, Lesson Planning and Delivery (Arts)
• Madalyn Pate — White Ribbon Award, Teacher Created Materials
• Josie McDonald — Fourth Place, Exploring Administrative Careers
• Chloe Sullivan — Fourth Place, Lesson Planning and Delivery (Early Childhood)
• Karah Bullard and Claudia Aban — Fifth Place, Outstanding Chapter
• Ariiyana Yarborough and Leslie Mata — Top 10, Pre-K Spanish Literature
• Tianna Harding and Heisel Morales — Top 10, Children’s Literature (Grades K-3)

Educators Rising is a national career and technical student organization that prepares high school and college students interested in becoming teachers and education professionals.

School officials said every Smithfield-Selma student who competed demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism throughout the year. Preparing for the national competition required months of planning, revisions, mock interviews, practice presentations and continuous feedback from teachers and classmates.

The JoCo TEACH program is designed to introduce students to careers in education while providing hands-on experiences and leadership opportunities that prepare them for future success in the classroom.

The strong showing at the national conference highlights the continued success of Smithfield-Selma High School’s educator preparation program and the growing number of Johnston County students pursuing careers in teaching.