Group of students and staff pose smiling in front of a colorful school mural featuring flowers and academic subjects.

BCS Welcomes NC Teacher of the Year, Rachel Candaso

Bladen County Schools

December 18, 2025

Today, we had the honor of welcoming North Carolina's Teacher of the Year, Rachel Candaso, to Clarkton School of Discovery!
Teacher stands smiling beside a sign welcoming North Carolina Teacher of the Year Rachel Candaso at Clarkton School of Discovery. Students work on a hands-on art project at a table while a teacher observes and provides instruction in the classroom.

Teacher sits beside a student at a table, offering guidance as the student writes on paper during a classroom activity.Our student leaders did an outstanding job leading the tour and showcasing what makes CSD school special. From visiting classrooms to engaging with our dedicated teachers and bright students, today was a wonderful celebration of the incredible teaching and learning happening here every day.

Teacher and students walk and talk together down a school hallway decorated with student artwork.

Thank you, Ms. Candaso, for taking the time to visit our school community and for representing educators across our state with such excellence.

Teacher shakes hands with a student in a classroom while another staff member looks on, celebrating student engagement.

Seven people, including students and staff, stand smiling in front of a Clarkton School of Discovery step-and-repeat banner inside a school hallway.