WEAVERVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Last week, Anneliese Shreve, an English teacher at Buncombe County Early College, was named the Buncombe County Schools Teacher of the Year.

Shreve, who was selected for the honor at a ceremony on Thursday, March 19, will advance to the regional Teacher of the Year competition. She received a $2,000 check from the Buncombe County Schools Foundation and HomeTrust Bank, as well as a Teacher of the Year trophy.

“I’m humbled. We work in such an incredible district and to be representing all these incredible teachers is such a tremendous honor,” said Shreve in a BCS press release. “I’m grateful for this big opportunity to work with teachers at every level to make it an even better school system.”

The annual ceremony unites Teacher of the Year winners from every school in the BCS system. In addition to recognizing the achievements of those teachers and crowning the county winner, a special award is given out in honor of Ruth Henderson, the late beloved English and business teacher at Erwin High School. This year, Elena Oian of the Progressive Education Program was the Ruth Henderson Award honoree.

“Each year, the Teacher of the Year committee presents the honor to a teacher who is community minded, altruistic, and carries on Ruth Henderson’s passion for teaching. Mrs. Oian was celebrated for the volunteer and job shadow opportunities she creates for her students,” BCS wrote in a press release.

Oian received a $250 gift card to AdoptAClassroom.org with her prize.

While the evening celebrated teachers, the event was not without students. Members of the North Buncombe High School FFA served dinner to the teachers and their guests.

According to BCS Superintendent Rob Jackson, the celebration of the teachers was well deserved, particularly in light of strong mid-year growth for students across the county.

“This is one night that is truly a celebration of the hard work that happens in classrooms every day,” said Jackson in the release. “We recently shared mid-year data that showed growth in every student group in every grade. That result comes from the intentional work of the tremendous teachers across our school system.”

For more about Shreve, visit sites.google.com/bcsemail.org/annelieseshreve/home.