For Raqi Barnett, teaching theater is about more than her passion for the arts. A teacher at E.E. Smith high school and recipient of the North Carolina Theatre Arts Educators’ 2025 “Educator of the Year” award, Barnett says, “We’re all about tradition, legacy and family at our school.” Since 2014, Barnett has poured her time and energy into preserving and growing that legacy by building an increasingly vibrant theater community, despite challenges.
The North Carolina Theater Arts Educators recognized her contribution with an award that is presented to theater educators who, according to their website, have achieved a high standard of quality in their pedagogical endeavors, have gone beyond the call of duty to provide an exceptional program that benefits their students and community, and have shown their passion and dedication to the profession of theatrical arts. The award celebrates excellence in theater education.
As the first African American to receive the NCTAE’s Educator of the Year award, Barnett says her accomplishment is a testament to diversity.
“It was a great surprise to be the first African American to receive this award,” she shared. “I’m sure it’s going to open doors for me and bring more people to see my work.”
She says the award “really reflects on who you are and how you can reach kids.” If the teacher loves their work, there’s a trickle-down effect, according to Barnett. When students see a teacher taking on extra responsibility, investing in students, and relying on community support to bring theater productions to fruition despite tight budgets, they’re inspired in turn.
“Passion comes down from the top,” she explained. “That cycle is a beautiful thing to have.”
Barnett spent years developing the skills that she now shares at E. E. Smith. She began perfecting her craft as a teacher and performer in 2002 at Washington, D.C.’s Classika Theater Company. There she learned puppetry, choreography, directing, and helped host summer camps for around two years.
That experience taught her that she enjoyed teaching, prompting her to delve further into opportunities. In need of a steady job, she sought out work in the school system.
“I felt that would fill the interest and the passion to give back to the youth,” she shared.
Her first theater teaching job was at Windsor Springs Elementary in Augusta, Georgia, where she and her husband were stationed at the time. While there, she started a modeling club and drama club. Upon deploying to Germany, she became a theater specialist, working at Kelly Theater and directing her first musical, High School Musical II. She founded a summer camp while stationed there, eventually bringing the summer camp back to Fayetteville when they returned.
A military brat and spouse herself, Barnett initially limited the camp to military kids, wanting to provide them with opportunities. But since beginning as a teacher at E.E. Smith, she has expanded the summer camp offerings beyond military families, collaborating with both Fayetteville Parks and Recreation and the Town of Hope Mills Parks and Recreation.
In addition to her summer camp offerings, she opened a chapter of the International Thespian Honor Society Troupe, which brings students competition opportunities and involvement in the broader theater community.
Barnett emphasized the importance of community in the work she does. Whether it’s organizations such as Cape Fear Regional Theatre or parents and guardians of students who pitch in to build sets and salvage materials for productions, growing E. E. Smith’s theater program has been a group effort.
“When I first started, there were $238 in the school theater account,” Barnett explained. “The program was decent, but it wasn’t booming.” Working on a tight budget and with insufficient incoming funds, they kick-started their first play with a fundraiser. “They couldn’t see us actually doing it,” she explained, “That made me mad, so I said, ‘We have a challenge ahead and something to prove.’”
Their first play, Greece!, was made possible by a combination of using what they had, dumpster-diving, and Dollar Tree.
“We made it work, and I had really creative students, teachers, community members, and my own family donating.”
Barnett was also influential in procuring a $15,000 grant from The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County for the theater program—the second-highest grant of its kind in the state.
That grant allowed them to collaborate with Cape Fear Regional Theatre and “bring their professionals to our school and help us out with making sure that we had costumes and all the theater elements for a really professional performance.”
Barnett hopes her legacy keeps the community involved in E. E. Smith theater and facilitates a flourishing future where students can participate in competitions, perform an annual spring musical, and be exposed to new genres and opportunities.
In the meantime, her classes remain particularly popular. “My classes are always full,” she shared happily. “Students always want to come back.”