by: Bradlee Sanderford

SANFORD – At any school, the teacher of the year award is meant for a teacher that goes above and beyond, not just in the classroom, but out of it as well. Lee County High School’s Kaitlyn Adams does just that.

When the Lee County High School admin team walked into her classroom to say she was picked as LCHS Teacher of the Year, she was totally shocked. For a second, she thought something bad happened. But then Mr. Newby handed her a vase of flowers and explained why they were there, and it finally hit her. All Adams could think was “Don’t drop the flowers. Just don’t drop the flowers.”

“It’s so meaningful knowing my coworkers voted for me,” Adams said. “LCHS feels like a family, and when it comes to family, I show up. Being chosen feels like the school’s way of saying, ‘We see you. We know you’ll always show up.’”

All the congratulations from her coworkers were special, but it was the messages from students past and present that really hit her. Graduated students reached out to say they were proud of her, while current students kept stopping by with nice words and compliments.

This award came during what’s been a really tough year. While working on her National Board Certification, she’s also been building her Counseling and Mental Health program totally from scratch. As the only teacher in the district teaching these courses, she’s had to make up pretty much all her materials herself.

“There’s no set curriculum or resources ready to go. It’s just me, figuring it out as I go, constantly making stuff, adjusting, and trying to make sure my students get the best experience possible,” the Counseling and Mental Health teacher explained.

“Getting this title during such a hard year has been a light I didn’t even know I
needed.”

Her teaching journey at LCHS started five years ago, so this is her fifth year at the school and teaching overall. Before that, she was a long-term sub in New Hanover County, just waiting for the right full-time job to open up.

She started off teaching Food and Nutrition I and Principles of Family and Human Services but now teaches Counseling and Mental Health I & II. She also teaches Driver’s Education and has taken on a ton of other responsibilities, like summer school, Saturday school, and organizing CTE final exam testing.

She is always showing up for her students and coworkers, whether it’s going to school events, helping with tech problems, or just being there to listen. Now, all that hard work is getting noticed by the people who see it every day.