Teachers, Employees of the Year Honored at PCS Awards Banquet

Jeanann W. Duncan, an Economics and Personal Finance teacher at North Pitt High School, has been named the 2026–27 Pitt County Schools Teacher of the Year. Duncan was recognized during the district’s annual awards banquet, sponsored by the Pitt County Farm Bureau and held Wednesday at the Rock Springs Center.

Duncan’s selection highlighted a day dedicated to celebrating excellence across Pitt County Schools. The event also recognized Teacher of the Year runner-up D.J. Fussell, III of Innovation Early College High School; finalists Gracie Baker of Ayden-Grifton High School and Jennifer Sumerlin of Chicod School; the district’s Beginning Teacher of the Year; specialty area Employees of the Year; and outstanding classified staff members.

Now in her ninth year as an educator, Duncan teaches Economics and Personal Finance at North Pitt High School. She is a graduate of East Carolina University, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in history and history education. Duncan says her passion for learning drives her work in the classroom.

“I have always loved learning. . .,” she said. “I truly value the opportunity to engage with students and help make the content meaningful and relevant to their lives.”

Fussell, this year’s Teacher of the Year runner-up, brings 14 years of experience in education, having served as a teacher, assistant principal, and instructional coach. He currently teaches social studies at Innovation Early College High School. Fussell earned bachelor’s degrees in history and political science and a master’s degree in secondary social studies from East Carolina University. He also holds a school administrator’s license from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

When asked what matters most to him as a teacher, Fussell said, “is not that students remember me as an individual, but that they remember the experiences we shared and how those moments helped them see the world, their community, and themselves in a new way.”

During the banquet, Javon Brumsey of South Central High School was recognized as Pitt County Schools’ 2025–26 NCCAT Empower Beginning Teacher of the Year.

Additional specialty award recipients honored during the evening included:

• Vickie Carden, Chicod School – Academically and Intellectually Gifted Teacher of the Year
   
• Zulena Staton, Pitt Academy – School Counselor of the Year
   
• Trudy Beth Oakley Garris, Stokes School – Media Coordinator of the Year
   
• David Tripp, South Central High School – Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year
   

Five classified staff members were also recognized for their outstanding service to the district:

• Erin Smithwick Tseng, G.R. Whitfield School – Office Employee of the Year
   
• Zenisha Harris, Lakeforest Elementary School – School Nutrition Manager of the Year
   
• Carolyn Alexander, Stokes School – Teacher Assistant of the Year
   
• Rodney D. Harris, Stokes School – Custodian of the Year
   

The district extends its appreciation to the community partners whose generosity and support helped make the ceremony possible. In addition to the Pitt County Farm Bureau, valued partners included A-1 Awards and Promotions; ECU Athletic Tickets Department; Grady-White Boats, Inc.; Mark III Employee Benefits; Olive Garden; Nothing Bundt Cakes; Pitt County Educational Foundation; Rock Springs Center; Shane Robinson & Associates; The Fresh Market; and Walmart.

The annual awards banquet celebrates the dedication, professionalism, and lasting impact of Pitt County Schools employees who serve students and families across the district.