Ms. Adams, a favorite teacher, loved and appreciated by many, has recently received the title of school and district Rookie of the Year while also receiving a gift on Christmas Eve of 2023. She got engaged. So, what events led to these opportunities?
Kaitlyn Adams had lived in Boone, NC throughout her lifetime. After high school, she went to UNCW, and during her junior year, she met a man online named Joel Sanchez. She did her student teaching and field experience while receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History and her Secondary Social Studies teaching licensure. After college, she was looking for jobs in New Hanover and Pender Counties, and then her friend suggested jobs in Brunswick County. She agreed and started applying for social studies jobs that were open in the high schools in Brunswick County (West, South, and North Brunswick, as well as Early College).
Despite other opportunities, she interviewed at South Brunswick and Early College. She states that she loved the interview with Mr. Elliott and Ms. Absher. They got along well, and she loved the atmosphere and how they advertised Early College, and what it was about since she hadn’t been to an Early College growing up.
She did get accepted, and the American History teacher before her, Miss Osborne, taught her how to teach, and gave her materials. Now, Ms. Adams loves her coworkers and feels very welcome and lucky to be at Early College.
Skills that the nominators look for in a beginning teacher are a leader, someone who is collaborative, has an engaged classroom and lessons, and someone who is a quality teacher and person in general.
The experience for the State Rookie of the Year took place at the North Carolina Center for Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). For this experience, two things took place. 1) The beginning teachers competed for the State Rookie of the Year title, and 2) Professional development was done for all of the teachers there (basically, the teachers became the students for a week, learning about how to have a fun classroom, how to navigate a school environment, etc.).
While the prize for this winning teacher was $5,000, Ms. Adams had planned on using this money for her and her fiancé’s wedding. She didn’t win the state title, which she thought was “unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
She and Joel had been dating for three years and planned on getting engaged since the beginning of 2023. They have done many things together, like travel, and dates, as well as projects. Did you know that Ms. Adams and Joel renovated a house together? They share many values, and they thought, “Hey, let’s keep the good vibes going.”
On Christmas Eve, Adams, Joel, and their families were all together. They were opening presents, and having fun when Joel stood up and revealed one final gift: a gold ring with two of the diamonds from pieces of her grandmother’s wedding ring, a family heirloom.
Previously, they had planned the wedding for the Fall of 2024, but they realized that the money just wasn’t enough for all the down payments and reservations needed to make the wedding happen. Due to this, they now plan on making this event happen in the Fall of 2025. “It’ll be small, cute, quick, but I want it to be nice.”
Photo submitted by Max E.
