English teacher Kimberly Jones won the 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year award on April 14, the highest honor a teacher in the state can earn.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction cited Jones as a “teacher-leader who champions equitable access to advanced courses and academic success for all students.” She was chosen by a board of professional educators and business and community leaders.
As recipient of the award, Jones will travel throughout the state next year promoting education, while serving as an ambassador for teachers. She will be also appointed to the State Board of Education for a two-year term.
Jones was honored at a luncheon at the Umstead Hotel in Cary with members of her family, including her mother, and close colleagues present.
“I think that the opportunity to thank my mom and my former teachers and colleagues was the greatest moment of winning,” Jones said. “We have people in our lives who inspire us, and sometimes that’s a thought in our brains and hearts and we don’t get to express it. The ability to give that credit, thanks, and honor to the people who made me the teacher I am made me feel great.”
Jones has taught 10th-grade English at Chapel Hill High School since 2006, shortly after she earned her master’s degree from Wake Forest University.
She also serves as the co-coordinator of the AVID program, which aims to promote equality within the school while ensuring students from all backgrounds feel supported.
Jones emphasized the need for teachers from diverse backgrounds to stand before students.
“My personal platform is about increasing diversity in the teacher cohort. Right now, students of color make up about 51% of NC public schools, but teachers of color make up only 23%,” Jones said. “I think that every student deserves to come into school and see adults that affirm their identities, and white students deserve to have diverse teachers that reflect the world they will go on to live in.”
Sophomore Kira DeVrieze said one of Jones’s many strengths is that Jones is always eager to assist her students.
“Ms. Jones always has a smile on her face and is ready to help whenever needed,” DeVrieze said. “She never fails to make it known that she is there for her students if needed.¨
Sophomore Jonah Berman agreed with DeVrieze.
“Mrs. Jones aims to have a classroom setting that ensures each student feels supported,” Berman said. “Asking for help in class never feels uncomfortable and is always encouraged.¨
Jones sees education as a powerful tool to help students achieve their true potential.
“I love the power that teachers possess to help students value and appreciate where they are in their lives, and also the power that teachers have to see a different vision for the future [students] didn’t see for themselves,” she said. “I like that a teacher can unlock things for students that they wouldn’t have pursued on their own.”
Despite being out of the classroom next year, Jones said she plans to return to Chapel Hill High School after next school year.
“I plan on it. There’s going be somebody else in my classroom next year—I don’t know if they’re willing to get out of my way, but [I plan to return to] Chapel Hill absolutely,” she said.
