Angie Sigmon, a K-3 teacher at Shuford Elementary School in Conover, was named North Carolina’s latest Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winner and the recipient of a $25,000 prize. State Superintendent June Atkinson made the surprise announcement during a school-wide assembly last Friday (October 17).
Sigmon, whose career has spanned 13 years, is among the nation’s 40 most recent recipients of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which carries with it an unrestricted financial award of $25,000 and membership in a network of over 2,600 past recipients from across the nation.
Sigmon’s colleagues say she leads by example and always models for her students and fellow teachers how to act, engage and follow through with tasks in a successful way. Co-workers say she spends countless hours planning for lessons, promoting community involvement among her students, fundraising for field trips and building a love of technology in her classroom and throughout her school. Her hard work, encouragement and her belief that every student can be a leader enables her students to grow academically and socially.
In 2013-14, less than 50 percent of Sigmon’s students were at grade level in math and reading at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year approximately 80 percent of students were performing at grade level or above and all students made their growth goals.
She currently serves as grade-level chair for second and third grade and is the School-Wide Assistance Team chairperson. She is an Instructional Consultation Team Facilitator, a Technology Team member and she was selected to host the school’s iPad pilot classroom and open her classroom to visitors from other districts. The National Board Certified teacher was named the Shuford Elementary First Year Teacher of the Year in 2002, Teacher of the Year in 2007 and 2011 and the Newton-Conover City Schools Teacher of the Year in 2012.
Sigmon earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and psychology and a master’s degree in reading education (K-12) from Appalachian State University.