Applications for the 2025-2026 school year will open on January 1st.

Honored Educator Scholarships (HES) provide an opportunity for selected teachers to attend an NCCAT seminar of their choice. An HES covers all costs associated with participation in a five-day NCCAT seminar, including program materials, instruction, food, lodging, transportation, and substitute teacher. The honored educator also receives $250 for use in the classroom.

To apply click here.

For questions on application content, contact [email protected]. 

Scholarship funds provide:

• instruction and program materials
• substitute teacher reimbursement
• teacher travel—excluding­­ expenses for hotel stays while traveling to or from campus
• lodging and meals while on the NCCAT campus
• $250 for classroom use

Each fully endowed scholarship is awarded:

• annually to a full-time North Carolina teacher
• based on criteria determined by the scholarship benefactor

The list of Honored Educator Scholarships available is grouped by category.

Placement criteria specific to each scholarship are included in the description.

County Scholarships

Clay County

Beulah Padgett Whichard

This scholarship was established in honor of the late Beulah Padgett Whichard, who was a native of Clay County and taught in Clay and Durham County Schools for 30 years. Willis P. Whichard, a retired college law school dean, retired judge and former legislator established this scholarship in honor of his mother. NCCAT’s Beulah Padgett Whichard Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to her lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.

Clinton City or Sampson County

Jean P. Powell

This scholarship honors Jean P. Powell, the North Carolina teacher of the year in 1983. While teacher of the year, it was her active voice and vision that prompted North Carolina leaders to create a center for public school teachers. Powell’s idea became a reality two years later when the North Carolina Legislature officially established the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Mrs. Powell’s four children established this scholarship in honor of their mother. NCCAT’s Jean P. Powell Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to her lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.

Cumberland County Schools

C. Fletcher Womble Jr.

This scholarship honors Dr. C. Fletcher Womble Jr. who was raised in the Piedmont area of North Carolina and spent 35 years in public education. He served as the superintendent of Fayetteville City Schools and as the deputy superintendent of Cumberland County Schools from 1980 until he retired in 1989. NCCAT’s C. Fletcher Womble Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to his lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.

Durham County

Beulah Padgett Whichard

This scholarship was established in honor of the late Beulah Padgett Whichard, who was a native of Clay County and taught in Clay and Durham County Schools for 30 years. Willis P. Whichard, a retired college law school dean, retired judge and former legislator established this scholarship in honor of his mother. NCCAT’s Beulah Padgett Whichard Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to her lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.

Durham, Orange, Wake or Warren Counties

Simon F. Terrell

This scholarship pays tribute to the late Simon F. Terrell of Chapel Hill, one of the state’s legendary high school coaches. Coach Terrell taught and coached at Durham High, John Graham High in Warrenton, and Cary High before joining the administration of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in 1959. NCCAT’s Simon F. Terrell Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to his lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.

Nash or Wilson Counties

Mabel Roberson McIntyre

This scholarship honors a native and lifelong resident of Nash County. The late Mabel Roberson McIntyre attended Stanhope Elementary and graduated from Spring Hope High School before attending Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson. Then, at the end of World War II, she began teaching at Stanhope Elementary and later became its principal. She was a pioneer in the integration of the Nash County School System and helped spearhead the Title One reading program. After her retirement in 1981, Mrs. McIntyre remained an active volunteer in education. NCCAT’s Mabel Roberson McIntyre Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to her lifelong commitment to teaching.

Polk County

William J. Miller 

The William J. Miller Honored Educator Scholarship has been created to honor Mr. Miller, who retired after a distinguished career in Polk County Schools as a teacher, coach, principal, administrator, and superintendent. Mr. Miller served more than 30 years in Polk County School District. He spent time on the men's basketball staff at Wingate before beginning a teaching career as social studies teachers and basketball coach at Tyron High School. He later worked as principal at Polk County High School and as the Polk County district's personnel director and assistant superintendent before becoming superintendent in 2004.

Randolph County

Lynda Petty

This scholarship honors the late Lynda Petty, who dedicated her life to improving public education for the children of Randolph County. Mrs. Petty, known as the “First Lady of NASCAR,” supported the Randolph County community in many ways, but most commendably, she served as a local leader in education. During her lifetime, Lynda served as a school volunteer and, from 1984 to 2000, served as a member of the Randolph County Board of Education, including taking on the role as its Chairperson for seven years. NCCAT’s Lynda Petty Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to her lifelong commitment to teaching.

Swain County

Boyce T. Deitz

This scholarship honors a native of Jackson County, Boyce T. Deitz, who graduated from Sylva-Webster High School and attended Western Carolina University. He gained immediate local respect upon graduation by returning to Sylva-Webster to coach. Then, from 1977 to 1997, Coach Deitz served as head football coach and athletic director at Swain County High School, winning five state championships, ultimately establishing him as a coaching legend in the state.

Wake County

Robert E. and Hattie H. Bridges

This scholarship honors Robert E. and the late Hattie H. Bridges, two outstanding North Carolina educators who affected positive changes and progress in North Carolina public schools for 30 years. Dr. Bridges began his career in Raleigh City Schools as an elementary school teacher. In addition to serving as a classroom teacher at the high school level, he held the positions of principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent, and superintendent with the Wake County Public School System, retiring in 1989. Mrs. Bridges served as a classroom teacher, chair of the health and physical education department, and the women’s basketball coach at Enloe High School in Raleigh. NCCAT’s Robert E. and Hattie H. Bridges Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to the dedication of the Bridges family to all students and their lifelong commitment to the teaching profession.

Wilson County

John F. and Emy Swindell Hinnant

As lifelong educators and avid NCCAT alumni, both Emy and John Hinnant began teaching in 1970. During careers that spanned over sixty years combined in North Carolina schools, Emy taught English and John taught both science and history with a passion for instilling learning in their students. With over thirty of these years in Wilson County Schools, where both John and Emy were chosen as Teachers of the Year, the John F. and Emy Swindell Hinnant Honored Educator Scholarship was established to honor their dedication and commitment to the profession of teaching.

Wilson County

Elsie Brame Hunt and Noma Henderson Leonard

Former Governor and First Lady, Jim and Carolyn Hunt, established this scholarship in honor of their mothers: Elsie Brame Hunt and Noma Henderson Leonard. Mrs. Hunt’s mother, Noma Henderson Leonard, was of pioneering stock who taught in a one-room school house that still stands near Colfax, Iowa today. Interestingly, Mrs. Leonard taught until she got married and was forced to quit because of the prohibition on “married school teachers.” Governor Hunt’s mother, Elsie Brame Hunt, was an English teacher in Wilson, Johnston, and Guilford Counties in North Carolina. She concluded her teaching career as a librarian at Rock Ridge High School where her sons, Jim and Robert, graduated. NCCAT’s Elsie Brame Hunt and Noma Henderson Leonard Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to their lifelong commitment to their students and to the teaching profession.

Statewide Scholarships

Statewide

The Belk Foundation

The Belk Honored Educator Scholarship honors teachers across North Carolina who devote their careers to providing quality education for all children. The Belk Foundation, a family foundation based in Charlotte, NC, is focused on supporting quality education by investing in schools and organizations that work aggressively to ensure all students graduate from high school and continue on an intentional path toward college, career, and life. Now in its third generation of family leadership, The Belk Foundation serves as the public expression of gratitude and commitment shown by the family that created the Belk department store organization, which was founded by William Henry Belk and Dr. John Montgomery Belk in 1888. In the past decade, The Belk Foundation has distributed many millions to charities across the Southeast.

Statewide

Marjorie T. and John S. Britt

This scholarship was established in honor of Marjorie T. and John S. Britt. Mrs. Britt taught both language arts and mathematics during her lifelong career of over twenty-five years with North Carolina schools. Last teaching fourth grade at Adams Elementary in Wake County Schools she is an avid NCCAT alumna. With the support of her husband, the Britt’s love of education was passed on to their daughters—who both became teachers. The Marjorie T. and John S. Britt Honored Educator Scholarship was established to honor their dedication and commitment to the profession of teaching.

Statewide preference to World Languages teacher

Luz M. Frye

This scholarship was established in honor of Luz Frye who taught Spanish in Wake County for thirty years. Now retired, her professional career included active membership in the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC), the Southern Conference on Language Teaching, the Wake County Foreign Language Collaborative, and the NC Society of Hispanic Professionals. Commendably, she was named the 2001 FLANC teacher of the year. The Luz M. Frye Honored Educator Scholarship honors the dedication shown by Mrs. Frye to all students and her dedication to upholding the profession of teaching.

Statewide

R. Phillip Haire

This scholarship was established in honor of The Honorable R. Phillip Haire who served Western North Carolina as a member of the House of Representatives in the General Assembly for fourteen years. His dedication to education is evidenced by his twelve-year service on the UNC Board of Governors and on the Board of Trustees of Western Carolina University. Undoubtedly, one of Representative Haire’s significant service contributions was in the area of education, specifically his appointment by then Governor Jim Hunt to the Public Education Commission whose study and research resulted in the formation and establishment of NCCAT. Increasing teacher effectiveness is fundamental to improving public education, and that is NCCAT’s function. The R. Phillip Haire Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to the legacy of an outstanding North Carolinian who spent his life finding ways to strengthen his community and public education for all children.

Statewide preference to a high school History teacher

Mary D. McDuffie

This scholarship was established in honor of the late Dr. Mary McDuffie who began her 35-yearlong career in education as a history teacher. Her outstanding educational achievements included Teacher of the Year at Terry Sanford High School; Cumberland County Principal of the Year; Wachovia Southeast Regional Principal of the Year; North Carolina Principal of the Year; and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the most prestigious awards presented by the office of the Governor of North Carolina. She also was a North Carolina district superintendent and later served as NCCAT’s Executive Director from 2002–2011. The Mary D. McDuffie Honored Educator Scholarship honors the lifelong dedication of Dr. McDuffie to the profession of teaching and education.

Statewide to a kindergarten teacher

A. Craig Phillips Scholarship—Fund I

This scholarship was established in honor of Dr. A. Craig Phillips who served as State Superintendent of North Carolina for twenty years from 1968–1988. He instituted state-supported kindergarten for all North Carolina children, secured the first state money earmarked to improve reading programs in early grades, expanded programs for exceptional children, oversaw the development of the Basic Education Program and Career Development Plan, and expanded employment for teachers to ten months per year. The A. Craig Phillips Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to the legacy of an outstanding North Carolinian who spent his life finding ways to strengthen administrators, empower teachers, and motivate parents to support education for all children.

Statewide to a kindergarten teacher

A. Craig Phillips Scholarship—Fund II

This scholarship was established in honor of Dr. A. Craig Phillips who served as State Superintendent of North Carolina for twenty years from 1968–1988. He instituted state-supported kindergarten for all North Carolina children, secured the first state money earmarked to improve reading programs in early grades, expanded programs for exceptional children, oversaw the development of the Basic Education Program and Career Development Plan, and expanded employment for teachers to ten months per year. The A. Craig Phillips Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to the legacy of an outstanding North Carolinian who spent his life finding ways to strengthen administrators, empower teachers, and motivate parents to support education for all children.

Statewide to a kindergarten teacher

A. Craig Phillips Scholarship—Fund III

This scholarship was established in honor of Dr. A. Craig Phillips who served as State Superintendent of North Carolina for twenty years from 1968–1988. He instituted state-supported kindergarten for all North Carolina children, secured the first state money earmarked to improve reading programs in early grades, expanded programs for exceptional children, oversaw the development of the Basic Education Program and Career Development Plan, and expanded employment for teachers to ten months per year. The A. Craig Phillips Honored Educator Scholarship pays tribute to the legacy of an outstanding North Carolinian who spent his life finding ways to strengthen administrators, empower teachers, and motivate parents to support education for all children.

Statewide

Richard A. Schwartz

This scholarship was established in honor of Richard A. Schwartz who devotes his life to helping school systems as a nationally renowned attorney and advocate for the North Carolina public education community. He also serves as the president of the Development of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Inc. Fittingly, the Richard A. Schwartz Honored Educator Scholarship honors his father, Dr. Norman Schwartz, and represents the ideals that Dr. Schwartz embodied throughout his life and long career in public education.

Statewide

Richard L. Thompson

This scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Richard L. Thompson who began his career as a classroom teacher and coach. The breadth and scope of his work includes service as a North Carolina principal and district superintendent, a state superintendent of education in Mississippi, and as a vice president in the University of North Carolina General Administration. Dr. Thompson also served as NCCAT’s executive director from 1992–1994 and from 2013–2015. The Richard L. Thompson Honored Educator Scholarship honors the lifelong dedication of Dr. Thompson to the profession of teaching and education.

To apply please click here.

To start a new scholarship fund, contact the Development Foundation of NCCAT Inc. at 828-293-5202.

For questions contact [email protected].