Nominate a Teacher

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

Nominations for Teaching Chairs will be accepted until January 31, 2023. Anyone can nominate
a teacher – a peer, a student, a parent, a community member. Teachers may also nominate themselves.

In 2023, six of the 15 Endowed Teaching Chairs are open for nominations. The first five chairs described below recognize a certified 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 fewer than three years.  Check the descriptions below to see if a teacher you would like to nominate is eligible for a Chair in the 2023 cycle.

 


Elementary School Chairs

Upper Elementary Chair for Excellence in Teaching Innovation (grades 3-5)
The second elementary teaching chair was established as an endowment to honor outstanding, innovative teachers of grades 3-5 districtwide. The award is presented on a two-year cycle and recognizes a certified classroom teacher who has taught in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School (CHCCS) District for at least three years.

Middle School Chairs

Zora Rashkis Chair for Excellence in Teaching Middle School Language Arts or Social Studies
An endowment fund was created to honor Mrs. Rashkis, who was a much loved teacher at Phillips and Culbreth Middle Schools. The chair was initially awarded to outstanding middle school Language Arts teachers. Starting with the 2013-14 school year, the award was expanded to include middle school candidates teaching Social Studies. This is a two-year award and recognizes a classroom teacher who has taught in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School (CHCCS) District for at least three years.

High School Chairs

Elmo’s Chair for Excellence in Teaching High School Math or Science
The chair began with an initial endowment from Kaiser Permanente and continued in 2006 with a supplemental gift from Elmo’s Diner and the Upper Elementary Chair Fund. It has a two-year term and recognizes a classroom teacher who has taught in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School (CHCCS) District for at least three years.

District-wide Chairs

PSF/PTA Chair for Excellence in Teaching Cultural Arts
This chair, first awarded in the 2013-14 school year, honors outstanding teachers in the district who teach music, voice, visual and/or dramatic arts at any grade level. The chair is awarded on a three-year cycle and is sponsored by PTAs district-wide. This award recognizes a classroom teacher who has taught in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School (CHCCS) District for at least three years.

Zora Rashkis Chair for Excellence in Teaching World Language
Established in  2022-23 by a gift from the Zora Rashkis Trust to benefit PSF Teaching Chairs, this award  honors outstanding licensed world language teachers, including teachers of French, Latin, Spanish, German, Japanese, and Chinese in grades K-12.  Eligible candidates will have at least three years as a certified teacher in the CHCCS District.  The chair is awarded on a three-year cycle to one eligible teacher. (note: Dual Language teachers are not included in this award category)

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

Burton Stuart Chair for Promising New Secondary Teachers in Math or Science
The endowed fund, created by his son, honors Bud Stuart, a long-time math teacher at Chapel Hill High School and the first recipient of the first teaching chair awarded in the district. First awarded in the 2013-14 school year, the Stuart Chair is presented on a three-year cycle to a beginning teacher (fewer than three years teaching) who shows great promise in teaching math or science in either middle or high school.