Garner Magnet High School teacher named Wake County Public School Teacher of the Year

GARNER, N.C. (WTVD) -- A high school teacher in Garner was named the 2023 Wake County Public School System Teacher of the Year.

Civic Literacy and African American Studies teacher Terry Hennings has been a teacher at Garner Magnet High School since July 2017. He became a teacher as a second career after serving in the US Air Force for 25 years.

"My time in the U.S. Air Force has provided a unique opportunity to insert my own experiences and include personal, culturally relevant experiences. Once students discover the personal connection I have with their culture, race or ethnicity, it increases the opportunity for meaningful bonds to form," Hennings wrote in a statement.

WATCH FULL INTERVIEW

A high school teacher in Garner was named the 2023 Wake County Public School System Teacher of the Year.

He also serves on the WCPSS Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council and as Garner High's Black Student Union Club advisor.

As Teacher of the Year, Hennings will participate in the Go Global NC international study program in South Korea during the summer of 2024 sponsored by the Dan Royster Memorial Teacher Award, in honor of a former WCPSS science teacher.

He will have the opportunity to use a 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe for the next year. Hennings also received an engraved award, a weekend stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, a 65-inch flat-screen TV, multiple gift cards, and numerous other prizes.