Education News

Cabarrus Co. Teacher Recognized for Service

The North Carolina Home Builders Association recently named Darren Hartsell of Jay M. Robinson High School in Cabarrus Co. the association’s 2011 Construction Trades Teacher of the Year. The award honors outstanding teachers dedicated to educating today’s youth in the construction trades.

Hartsell was chosen from nominees from around the state and was officially recognized at the NCHBA 4th Quarter Board Meeting & Installation on December 6 in Winston-Salem, where he received $500 and a plaque.

Hartsell teaches Masonry at JMRHS. His students have undertaken many projects to enrich their school and community, including the rehabilitation of a 150-year-old log cabin in Harrisburg, NC; the school’s softball press box; student benches and planters; and two Habitat for Humanity projects each year.

“The North Carolina Home Builders Association is proud to honor Mr. Hartsell as our Teacher of the Year,” said Kep Paylor, Director of Vocational Education. “His enthusiasm for the building industry and his dedication to helping young students learn the fundamentals of construction is inspiring.”

Hartsell was nominated for the Teacher of the Year award by the Principal at JMRHS.

In nominating Hartsell she wrote, “Not only does Mr. Hartsell master the Standard Course of Study, he enriches students further by offering them service learning projects every semester, so that students not only practice the trade, but learn and model civic responsibility and service.”