Nominate a Teacher

Nominations for Teaching Chairs will be accepted until January 31, 2022. Anyone can nominate
a teacher – a peer, a student, a parent, a community member. Teachers may also nominate themselves.

In 2022, the following six Chairs are open for nominations. The first five chairs recognize a classroom teacher who has taught in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School (CHCCS) District for at least three years. The final chair recognizes a teacher new to the profession who shows promise and who has taught for less than three years.

Elementary School Chairs

Sockwell Chair for Excellence in Teaching Elementary Grades PreK-2
The chair was the first elementary level teaching chair established by the Foundation. It honors former school board chair Phyllis Sockwell and her aunt who were teachers. The chair is funded by an  endowment and is awarded to teachers of grades preK to 2nd grade on a two-year cycle.

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Middle School Chairs

GlaxoSmithKline Chair for Excellence in Teaching Middle School Science or Math     
The Glaxo Chair was the first middle school teaching chair established by the Foundation. The chair honoring outstanding science or math teachers was first awarded in 1988-89. Starting in the 2013-14 school year, it is awarded on a two-year cycle.

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High School Chairs

Bernadine Sullivan Chair for Excellence in Teaching High School English or Social Studies   
The endowment was created by the family of English teacher Bernadine Sullivan at Chapel Hill High School, and was expanded in the 2013-14 school year from an English teaching award to include Social Studies. The award is presented on a two-year cycle.

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District-wide Chairs

Mary U. Andrews Chair for Excellence in Teaching Literacy   
This teaching chair honors outstanding reading specialists, literacy coaches, and media specialists for their work in the literacy arena. This chair was created to honor Mary U. Andrews, a long-time literacy teacher in the CHCCS District who helped initiate a number of literacy programs in the schools and the community. The chair is presented on a three-year cycle.

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Kim Hoke Chair for Excellence in Teaching Exceptional Children
A new honor in 2016, the Kim Hoke Chair awards outstanding classroom teachers who are certified to teach Exceptional Children and do so in a classroom setting. Named in honor of retired Executive Director of the Public School Foundation, Kim Hoke, the chair recognizes the efforts of classroom teachers who dedicate their career to teaching children with disabilities and special needs. The chair is presented on a three-year cycle.

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For the Promising New Teacher Chair below, the nominee must be new to teaching and have taught in the CHCCS district for less than three years.

Zora Rashkis Chair for Promising New Elementary School Teacher   Nominate a Teacher
This endowed fund was created in 2021-22 by a gift from the Zora Rashkis Trust to benefit PSF Teaching Chairs. The Zora Rashkis Chair for Promising New Elementary School Teacher is presented on a three-year cycle to a beginning teacher (less than three years teaching) who shows great promise in teaching at an elementary grade level, Pre-K through 5th grade.

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