CMS Teacher of the Year ‘lives for the kids.’ What to know about the winner
Gregory Gabriel doesn’t stop.
The fifth-grade math teacher at Winterfield Elementary School and 15-year veteran teacher regularly puts in hours before and after school and on weekends to do the most he can for his students, said Lance Kanter, his colleague and friend.
“I get emails from him before 4 a.m. about pedagogy,” Kanter said. “He wants to do everything perfect and right for the kids. … His secret sauce is he does everything from the heart and gives more effort than you could possibly imagine.”
Gabriel was chosen from 11 finalists at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ third annual Gem Awards ceremony held Tuesday at the Dale F. Halton Theater at Central Piedmont Community College.
Kanter said he wasn’t surprised, but he was relieved. He and Gabriel’s wife, Beth, were the first on their feet when the award was announced Tuesday.
“I want it for him, but I want it for the district as a beacon of what you can aspire to and the impact that he’s had,” Kanter said. “He lives for the kids, and everybody that knows him knew he should win.”
Each school in CMS submits a nominee for Teacher of the Year, Teacher Assistant of the Year and Beginning Teacher of the Year, along with a portfolio and essay. A panel of judges then interviews and selects 11 finalists. The panel comprises former teachers of the year, executive directors and CMS’ recruitment, retention and talent development team.
Finding a pathway for students
Gabriel attributed the honor to his colleagues and students.
“I’m simply a reflection, a mirror reflecting the brilliance of all of my students, past and present, who inspire me every single day, their families who have given me unwavering support and my colleagues,” he said in his acceptance speech. “No one teaches alone.”
Aside from helping increase math scores for his students at Winterfield, Gabriel also founded Gen One eight years ago when he worked at Eastway Middle School, where he taught for 13 years.
The program helps provide a pathway for students to become the first in their families to attend college.
“I saw extremely talented students, and I would talk to them about their plans for college going forward and I realized that they didn’t know a lot about that process or what that looked like,” Gabriel told The Charlotte Observer.
Through the program, a cohort of rising eighth-graders from Title I public middle schools in Charlotte are selected each year. They receive year-round college and career prep throughout the rest of middle and high school, including support on standardized testing, applications, financial aid, scholarship searches and career planning.
There are currently around 200 students in the program, Gabriel said, and around 100 participants of the program enrolled in college. The program’s first cohort of students will graduate from college this month.
With the award, Gabriel received a check for $1,500 and a new Honda CRV, courtesy of Hendrick Automotive Group and Honda of Concord. Each of the 11 finalists also received a check for $550.
Beginning Teacher of the Year and Teacher Assistant of the Year
CMS also named a Teacher Assistant of the Year and, for the first time, a Beginning Teacher of the Year. The new award is for an educator who is closing out their first full school year as a teacher in CMS.
“Part of our work is to continue to expand the ways we recognize top talent,” said Nancy Brightwell, CMS chief of recruitment, retention and talent development. “We have an incredible cadre of beginning teachers, so that was an obvious place for us to start with our expansion.”
Sean Bryant, a physical education teacher at Newell Elementary School, was named Beginning Teacher of the Year and received a cash prize of $1,250. Each finalist also received $450.
Freddie Pinkney, an Exceptional Children teaching assistant at Ardrey Kell High School, was named Teacher Assistant of the Year and received a check for $1,000. Each finalist was also awarded a check for $350.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
