Windy Lampson, a visual arts and pottery teacher at Southeast Alamance High School, has been selected as the school system’s teacher of the year.
Lampson is in her 18th year of teaching and has taught for ABSS 16 years. Lampson moved to the new high school when it opened in August 2023 and is also a National Board Certified Teacher.
The annual Excellence in Education Awards Program, where this year’s Teacher of the Year was announced, was held at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington on Tuesday night.
A committee of local representatives from K-12 and higher education, nonprofits, and businesses in Alamance County reviewed the video portfolios for each nominee, selected 12 finalists, and invited them for interviews prior to selecting the six finalists, according to Logan Garrison Savits, who is the director of Leadership Development and Education Partnerships for the Alamance Chamber.
The 2025 Teacher of the Year will receive an international trip with Go Global NC; a professional development opportunity of her choice; $10,000 for a classroom makeover; and other prizes such as gift certificates for dry cleaning, travel, salon services, and business cards, Savits confirmed for the newspaper last month.
Prizes for the winner, 12 finalists, and six semi-finalists are being funded by several local donors, including: Alamance Community Foundation; Elon University; Glen Raven; Honda Power; and LabCorp, Savits said. “All of this is done through fundraising – it’s all the support of our community,” she added.
The other six finalists were:
- Erica Bruner, Williams High School: A 12th-grade English teacher, Bruner has been teaching for nine years, five of which have been with ABSS. She serves as the English Language Arts department head at Williams High School and as a mentor for Elon University teaching interns. Bruner also helped train other ABSS teachers in co-curricular writing strategies during a system-wide conference earlier this year.
- Tasha Hartzfield, Turrentine Middle School: A sixth-grade math teacher, Hartzfield is in her fourth year of teaching and has been with ABSS for three years.
Hartzfield was the first in her family to attend college and graduated from Appalachian State University. She is also the first person in her family to go into education, she says, adding that she was able to attend college and earn her degree after receiving several academic scholarships. At Turrentine, Hartzfield serves as a grade-level leadership representative and helps with the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program at the middle school.
- Rebecca McLamb, Smith Elementary School: McLamb is in her 18th year of teaching, of which 17 years have been with ABSS. She currently teaches second grade at Smith Elementary School, where she has taught for the past 12 years.
McLamb is scheduled to graduate from Elon University in May with her Master’s degree in Education.
DeAfton Mitchell, Alexander Wilson Elementary School: An 18-year veteran of the teaching profession, Mitchell has been employed with ABSS 16 years and currently teaches kindergarten. He earned certification in the state’s new literacy training program (LETRS) in 2024 and serves on an ABSS core writing team and as a mentor for beginning teachers.
Katie Wood, B. Everett Jordan Elementary School: Wood is in her 16th year of teaching and has worked for ABSS, at B. Everett Jordan, for her entire career. She currently serves as the K-5 Exceptional Children’s teacher but has also previously taught kindergarten and second grade, in addition to serving as the school instructional specialist. Wood holds a Master’s degree in elementary education and is a National Board Certified Teacher.
