Swain’s Roper takes part in Kenan Fellows Program with TekTone
Gary Ayers
ayers5315@bellsouth.net
To say it has been a busy and rewarding summer for Swain High teacher, counselor and coach Ian Roper is a true understatement. Just after being named by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the North Carolina Coach of the Year for both girls and boys track and field, Roper was awarded with a fellowship by the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at N.C. State University.
“One of my primary roles as a school counselor is to help prepare our students to be successful for whatever is next in their journey once they graduate high school, be that in the workforce or in college,” Roper said.
According to Linda Dion, program coordinator for the Kenan Fellows Program, “Fellowship awards are competitive. Applicants must complete an online application, submit an essay, and provide two letters of recommendation. A selection committee of Kenan Fellows program staff, alumni and representatives from the industry host organization interview the final candidates. We select fellows based on their leadership, growth mindset, and commitment to driving positive change in their schools and communities.”
Roper applied without knowing if he would get in.
“Katrina Turbyfill from our central office made the staff aware of the opportunity to apply for a Kenan Fellowship this past spring,” Roper said. “With the blessing of Sonya Blankenship, my principal, I applied for the fellowship and was one of 37 educators from across the state selected to participate out of about 400 applicants.”
When asked about Roper being selected as a fellowship winner, Dion replied, “Ian was a standout candidate for his demonstrated leadership as an educator, coach and counselor. Additionally, he works closely with his school’s CDC (Career Development Coordinator) and CTE (Career and Technical Education) director and is committed to strengthening and building relationships to help students become ready for college and careers. He can leverage his fellowship to introduce students to STEM-connected (STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) jobs in the region, helping students understand that viable careers exist in their community.”
Roper is one of 37 K-12 North Carolina public school educators awarded the 2024-25 Kenan Fellowship. These educators, from 24 school districts across the state, represent diverse grade levels and subject areas including math, science, foreign language and general education. Kenan Fellows spent three weeks immersed in a local industry this summer. Roper’s was at TekTone Industry in Franklin, where he experienced TekTone’s culture, shadow employees, toured their facilities and explored local career opportunities available for students.
“Being able to spend time with TekTone this summer has allowed me the opportunity to develop some new curricula to present to our students to help them with their future careers, particularly as it relates to computer science and computational thinking,” Roper said.
The internship wrapped up this week, but the fellowship runs through May.
TekTone Marketing Manager Brad Hyder is proud of his company’s ability to be involved in the local community.
“TekTone strives to align our educational goals with our overall missions and values to ensure that our initiatives contribute to the company’s success and long-term sustainability. This is accomplished by participating in employee development campaigns, knowledge sharing, customer education and especially community engagement,” he said.
TekTone, a leader in the tech industry, specializes in the design and production of high-quality, affordable, completely interoperable healthcare products including nurse call, wireless nurse call, wander management, alert integration, and fall detection, as well as other valuable systems including emergency call, apartment entry and area of rescue assistance systems that are used in a wide range of applications.
“Our county does a fantastic job of offering STEM related opportunities to our students, especially considering the size of our system,” Roper said. “The Kenan Fellowship has allowed me to develop some tools and strategies to work specifically with our freshmen as we explore their career interests and develop their four-year plans.”
In addition to the industry immersion, Kenan Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend and participate in 80 hours of professional development focused on innovative teaching strategies, building leadership capacity, and strengthening connections between their schools and the local community.
Fellows must deliver a product at the end of their fellowship that translates their industry immersion experiences into resources and programs for their school community, or in some instances, their mentor organization.
The fellowships are made possible through support from the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership’s corporate, education, government and foundation sponsors. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction sponsored Roper’s fellowship. Roper is one of five 2024-25 Kenan Fellows selected for the project that aims to create cross-curricular educational opportunities for K-12 students in computational thinking and computer science.
Kenan Fellows participating in this initiative are developing lessons and resources to incorporate computational thinking and computer science into K-12 curricula and introduce students to careers in those fields. This effort is essential as North Carolina schools prepare for a new graduation requirement starting in Fall 2026. To graduate, high school students must complete at least one computer science course, with exemptions for those with learning disabilities.