English teacher Richard Matkins is the 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year.

Matkins is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and earned his master’s degree at UNC- Greensboro.

He has taught a broad spec- trum of Broughton students and classes over his 16 years, including IB English 12, Eng- lish 9, ESL Sheltered English 9, and Success Maker.

“It was a vote of the staff; everyone had an opportunity to decide who was a great representation of Broughton and teaching excellence,” principal Mares said about the process in which the winner was selected.

“It’s a little overwhelming. It’s certainly humbling. There are so many great teachers here that deserve this award,” Matkins said.

Last year’s winner, Stephanie Profio-Miller, handed off the award to Matkins as he asked about Matkins as a teacher.

“Mr. Matkins is a fantastic teacher. He was well-deserving of this honor,” Mares said.

“He is a man of few words, but all are important,” senior Peter Millsaps said.

Matkins’ ability to teach a wide range of courses and students is a major reason behind him receiving this award.

He has the unique ability to go from teaching seniors in IB English to teaching freshmen learning English for the first time in ESL Sheltered English 9.

“You should see him teach Romeo and Juliet to the ESL students,” said Babs Nichols, English Department chair, said.

Nichols explained that by the end of the lesson, his white board is filled with drawings that help depict the drama. His flexibility and understanding of students and content inspires students to work to their full potential, she said.

Matkins will be honored at a reception in January.

Teaching has been a passion of Matkins since he was in high school.

“I was inspired by my 11th and 12th grade calculus teach- er and my 9th and 12th grade history teachers. These were three men who showed how much impact teachers could have on the lives of their students,” Matkins continued.

Having a great source of motivation isn’t the only reason for Matkins’ dedicated style of teaching.

Matkins also comes from a long line of educators.

“A lot of my family is involved in education, so it was sort of a natural inclination for me to become a teacher,” Matkins said.

Students and faculty alike were excited by the fact that such a deserving teacher won the award.

“He’s a great teacher and is very deserving of this extremely prestigious award. I am honored to be in the class where he received it,” said senior Hunter Keravouri.