news-record.com

GREENSBORO – Local educators Patrice Faison and Jennifer Arberg both advanced to the state competitions for Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year after both being recognized by Guilford County Schools last fall.

Faison, a principal at Oak Hill Elementary in High Point, learned Friday that she is one of eight principals in North Carolina to be named a 2011-12 Regional Principal of the Year. That makes her eligible for the state award.

Faison became Oak Hill's principal in 2010 and in her first year raised the school’s composite reading, math and science test scores by 19.4 percentage points. The school was previously one of the lowest-performing schools in the state.

Arberg, a sixth-grade math teacher at Kiser Middle in Greensboro, found out in December that she was chosen to represent the Triad region at the state competition in May. Arberg started Kiser's MathCounts Club, which gives students opportunities to build their math problem-solving skills during competitions at other middle schools and on university campuses.