Asheville city teacher receives Beginning Teacher of the Year award; who is she?

ASHEVILLE - Maggie Allen, 24, had a difficult start in school as a child growing up in North Carolina. She entered second grade at a kindergarten reading level, but it all changed when her second-grade teacher became her biggest fan, she said.

"She was my biggest advocate," Allen said. "If it wasn't for her, I don't know what I'd be doing."

Allen's second-grade teacher is her "why" — her former teacher became the reason she's a teacher.

Allen, a first-grade teacher at Hall Fletcher Elementary School, received the Beginning Teacher of the Year award on Sept. 26. Surprised by her students and staff — she thought they were all gathering for an assembly when really, it was to celebrate her.

Staff went through a back door into the auditorium surprising Allen. Taylor Swift music was playing on the loudspeakers, Allen's favorite artist and the crowd of first- and second-graders were on their feet jumping and cheering.

Assistant Superintendent Mark Dickerson walked in with a dozen balloons, as the students "oohed" and "ahhed," he got their attention by announcing that he and other staff members were there for a very important reason.

"We are here to announce the Beginning Teacher of the Year for Asheville City Schools." Before he could get another word out the students started cheering and screaming, excited for Allen.

Kimberly Dechant, beginning teacher coordinator at ACS, provides support to all the beginning teachers. Dechant explained to the Citizen Times how the process works — principals are able to nominate a teacher who is finishing up their first year. The nominees have to write an essay on the reason why they became a teacher. A committee reads the essays with the names removed and scores them accordingly.

"This is so well deserved," Dechant said. "She's a gem, an incredible teacher."

The beginning teacher of the year process was developed by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and was developed to "honor and retain new teaching professionals who show promise as an excellent educational leader," according to a Sept. 26 news release from ACS.

City schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman was there on the morning of Sept. 26, handing Allen a bouquet of flowers and congratulating her.

"From the first day I met her I knew she was a phenomenal teacher," Fehrman said.

Hall Fletcher Principal Carrie Buchanan told the Citizen Times that she offered Allen the job on the spot.

"I was that impressed," she said.

"You would never know she was a new teacher. Her energy and excitement for learning goes straight to the children and they stay engaged with her every minute. She works really hard to meet the needs of all students."

Allen, originally from the Raleigh area, graduated from Western Carolina University. She is certified in elementary, inclusive and special education. She just started her second year of teaching at Hall Fletcher and said she loves it.

"One of my really big priorities as a teacher is building those connections with the kids and letting them feel accepted and safe in their classroom. I teach them that it's okay to make mistakes, we celebrate mistakes because that means we're trying," she said.

Her time at WCU is what led her to discover Asheville, she said it was the closest town to the university and she would come often for grocery runs.

"I thought to myself, 'I guess I'll live here, that sounds good to me,' " Allen giggled, admitting she never really questioned it.

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The next steps

A beginning teacher is selected from all school districts in North Carolina and as an Asheville City Schools finalist, Allen will submit her application to NCCAT.

The program will then select a pool of applicants to compete for the title of 2024 North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year and if she wins, Allen will get a $5,000 cash prize and the opportunity to participate in a GoGlobal N.C. trip, which allows teachers to immerse themselves in a different country to learn about different education systems, according to the release.

"It delivers the leadership and global competence needed to help our state thrive in this complex, dynamic world. We empower North Carolinians with the skills, understanding, connection, and knowledge to succeed in a global community," the GoGlobal website said.

Asheville City Schools currently has 327 classroom teachers.

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McKenna Leavens is the education reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at mleavens@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @LeavensMcKennna. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville City Beginning Teacher of the Year goes to 1st grade teacher