During the 2025 NCSTA Awards Ceremony Mrs. Velasco was recognized and presented the first ever 30+ Years in the K-12 Classroom Medal. This moment was the pinnacle of the entire program. NCSTA has recognized many outstanding educators who demonstrate excellence in the science classroom. After a number of years, many of these gifted teachers opt to advance their careers by moving into post-secondary instruction or administration. However, there are a few exceptions to this pattern. Rarely, an extraordinary educator with unwavering commitment to his/her students, chooses to remain in the K-12 classroom. Mrs. Patricia Velasco is this exceptional science teacher and inspiration for NCSTA’s newest award, the 30+ Years in the K-12 Classroom Medal. Now in her 35 year in the classroom, she continues to inspire and mentally challenge her students at Goldsboro High School.
Ms. Velasco creatively fosters critical thinking, realworld applications, and character development through her interactive, instructional differentiated strategies approach. (laboratories, Her kinesthetic activities, interactive notebooking, and games) insure student engagement and enhanced learning. Described as an “elite teacher” whose students consistently obtain superior Biology EOC scores, Ms. Velasco also mentors beginning teachers and conducts professional development workshops for Wayne County educators. She has taught Biology, Chemistry, Physiology, Earth and Physical Sciences and is an NCSTA Distinguished Science Teacher awardee.
