Nicole Rivers, an English teacher at Gray's Creek High School, is Cumberland County Schools’ 2021 Teacher of the Year. From creative assignments to starting a poetry club, Rivers goes above and beyond to form authentic connections with her students.
“My job as an educator is not to just get what I deem as valuable information into the minds of my students,” Rivers wrote in her nomination portfolio, “but how to effectively and responsibly use their words to change the world around them.”

A 15-year veteran educator, Rivers graduated from Fayetteville State University. As the 2021 Teacher of the Year, she received a trophy and flowers from Cumberland County Schools, $300 from the Cumberland County Board of Education, $500 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, $3,000 from Lafayette Ford-Lincoln — $2,000 for use at her school and $1,000 for her personal use — a commemorative custom Teacher of the Year ring from Jostens, an engraved desk clock from Herff Jones and a gift basket of edibles from Zazzy Treats.

Pictured: Nicole Rivers