Rocky Mount, N.C.—North Carolina’s 2009-2010 AT&T Teacher of the Year, Jessica Garner, of Union County Public Schools, far left, and Ron Ellis, executive vice president of the NC Association of Educators, far right, posed with North Carolina Wesleyan College students following a pinning ceremony that concluded the Wesleyan Education Department’s Spring Symposium. The students, who were recognized and honored for being admitted to Wesleyan’s teacher education program, heard words of encouragement and advice from veteran educators Garner and Ellis.

The event took place March 8 in Wesleyan’s Dunn Center for the Performing Arts.