East Columbus teacher named Sandhill Region Teacher of the Year

LAKE WACCAMAW, NC (WWAY) — A big surprise for one East Columbus High School teacher as Dr. Anthony Martin was announced as the 2025 Sandhill Region Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Martin was honored before the school’s faculty-student basketball game.

Martin is a career and technical education teacher, who began his career in central administration and then moved into teaching.

The award recognizes Dr. Martin as one of the nine best teachers in the entire state of North Carolina.

Dr. Martin has worked at East Columbus for close to 4 years and said it meant a lot to see all of the support he got from the students and staff.

“Definitely heart warming. You know, it means a whole lot. It’s really hard and difficult to put that into words because that’s why I’m here, I’m here for them. And they’re here for me. If it wasn’t for them, they really do bring on the energy every day in my classroom.”

Each region’s Teacher of the Year will then be up for the North Carolina Teacher of the Year award, which will be announced in April.