Award-Winning Cedar Creek Teacher Celebrated By School Board

LANOKA HARBOR, NJ — A Cedar Creek Elementary School was celebrated by the Lacey Township Board of Education after winning the Staples "Thank a Teacher" award.

Greg Carter, a fourth grade teacher, was one of 20 teachers nationwide selected to win $5,000 in Staples gift cards for the fourth annual contest, which aims to give parents, students, supporters, and fellow teachers a platform to recognize an outstanding teacher who has made a positive impact inside and outside of the classroom. Read more: $5,000 Won By Cedar Creek School Teacher Through Staples Contest

"He brings learning to life," Cedar Creek Principal Holly Niemiec said at a recent school board meeting.

His students love the animals that supplement his lessons - two snakes, a bearded dragon and a tarantula, Niemiec said.

Carter builds high interest lessons that his students love, she said.

"One of the central themes in his classroom is building connections," Niemiec said.

Carter gets to know his students and brings that into his lessons, she said, which highlights the students' strengths.

Carter was nominated for the award by a parent, Niemiec said, who cited his coming out to their child's basketball game as a way of building the child's self-esteem.

"He really went above and beyond," she said.

Niemiec referenced a TED Talk by Rita Pearson where she said "every child deserves a champion, an adult who has never given up on them.

This is what Carter does, Niemiec said.

"Well, I have to say, Mr. Carter, thank you for being a champion," she said.