Harris named ‘Communicator of the Year’
Michelle Harris, director of engagement & marketing and public information officer at Haywood Community College, has been named the 2025 District 2 Communicator of the Year by the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.
This award recognizes outstanding achievement and leadership in two-year college communications.
Haywood schools lead region in achievement scores: Early colleges dominate WNC rankings, but gaps persist
Another year, another set of numbers, and once again the mountains tell a complicated story of educational achievement.
As in years past, Haywood County set the regional pace, with the highest-performing high school (Haywood Early College), the highest-performing middle school (Bethel) and the highest-performing elementary school (Riverbend) based on achievement scores issued by the Department of Public Instruction for schools in The Smoky Mountain News core coverage area of Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.
Coming down from the mountain
This past weekend, I served as a cabin leader for Winter Retreat, an annual youth event hosted by First United Methodist Church.