2023 Teacher of the Year

Excitement was in the air at the annual Teacher of the Year banquet held on Wednesday, September 7, at Céline and Company Catering / The Hideaway in downtown Asheville. Special thanks to Pierce Group Benefits for being a title sponsor.

North Buncombe High School’s English and Journalism teacher Jenny Zimmerman is the new BCS Teacher of the Year. She was one of seven finalists chosen from our school-level Teachers of the Year. She’s taught for nearly 20 years in North Carolina schools. Ms. Zimmerman is committed to excellence as an educator as she is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). She earned both her BA and MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her various professional development endeavors have made her uniquely equipped to meet the needs of her students.

“Ms. Zimmerman is a shining example of a high-quality, BCS educator,” said Dr. Tony Baldwin, Superintendent. “Ms. Zimmerman has an unwavering focus on meeting her students’ academic and social-emotional needs. She’s concentrated on fostering creativity, improving their writing skills, and enhancing students’ media literacy mastery. Ms. Zimmerman builds relationships, helping her students gain self-confidence. She promotes working together, caring for others, problem-solving, and having fun while learning.”

Mrs. Zimmerman will go on to compete in the Western Region Teacher of the Year competition.

North Buncombe Elementary's Sandra Forero is the 2023 Ruth Henderson Award winner. This award, which is unique to BCS, recognizes a school-level Teacher of the Year for their support and service to students. The Ruth Henderson award recognizes “an altruistic teacher whose light shines for every student” - a teacher who, by definition, gives of themselves unselfishly. Mrs. Henderson was a former Erwin High Teacher of the Year who died of cancer in 1990, and whose memory lives on through this award.

Congratulations to both Ms. Zimmerman and Ms. Forero!

Thanks to WLOS’ Jason Boyer for being our emcee. Thanks to our sponsors: Pierce Group Benefits, the BCS Foundation, HomeTrust Bank, Becky’s Florist, and LifeTouch.

Below is a link to pictures from the event: https://bit.ly/3DpsjSN

Click here to watch the touching video that highlights our 7 finalists: https://youtu.be/v6uiD94Z7vQ