Melissa Pearce is Alpha Beta Chapter’s nominee for Rising Star because she has been such a  “Shining Star”  among our group! We can always count on her to be present and contribute to the goals of our chapter. She openly shares her many gifts and talents with our chapter, her school, and community. 

Melissa has created and paid for our first digital scrapbook as historian for our chapter and continues to be our resident photographer. She arranged for our first group picture in many years to be taken this year. Her artistic talents were clear as she submitted a painting to the NC DKG Art Gallery and she shared her artistic talents with our group by teaching a “Paint like Bob Ross” painting class that 18 people attended. When our chapter is raising money, Melissa is quick to donate items to sell and she has already been a meeting hostess for us displaying her creativity. 

Being selected as Johnston County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year twice speaks volumes about the quality of her classroom teaching.  At her school she is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher who also leads student groups on Leadership Retreats in Asheville and to travel internationally. She supports and mentors both beginning teachers in our county and those teachers wishing to attain National Board Certification.  Her expertise shines as she serves on our chapter’s Executive Board. 

We look forward to Melissa Pearce continuing to share her many talents with our chapter in the future. 

  Our Alpha Beta Chapter Nominee for the Golden Key Award, Cathy  Cox is known as the “wise one” in our chapter, her professional career and  among those in her community and church. She has not only served as  past president of our chapter but has also served for many years as our  Membership Committee Chairperson and smoothly guided us for many  years through the invitation, orientation and initiation process of new  members. 

Just as Annie Webb Blanton led the original Delta Kappa  Gamma sisters, Cathy led our chapter in gathering a diverse group of  over fifty key women educators. Cathy has always been our chapter “go  to” person for advice and wisdom on the next steps for our chapter’s  direction. 

While teaching English,Yearbook and Advanced Composition at  our local high school, former students were grateful for the gentle nudge  she gave with editing suggestions and improvements to their writing to make them stronger writers and prepare them for college level writing  assignments. Advanced Comp was students’ favorite course! When Cathy returned to college to become a Librarian/Media Coordinator, she served at the Public Library of Johnston County for several years. She advocated for literacy for all. She then returned to North Johnston High School in her new role, where she focused on improving the school’s collection of YA Literature. 

After she retired officially, Cathy again taught in an English classroom at North. Then, Cathy moved into the tutoring role at our local  community college where struggling students benefited from her expertise; she made them feel welcome in accessing the needed support. It was here that Cathy contributed to college students not only as their tutor but as an  advisor for their future education and career paths. 

A woman of many talents, Cathy also played the piano/ organ at her church for Sunday Worship Services and served on Growth  and Leadership, Worship, and Youth committees. 

We are so proud to call Cathy our “Golden Key” in our chapter and in the literary lives of so many.

From the moment Meg Smith was inducted into our chapter, her intelligence and willingness to serve has made her a true Rising Star. Not only is Meg a consummate professional mathematics educator (National Board certified,  AIG certified, AP certified, former SIT Chair, 30 year public school veteran, current adjunct community college instructor), she is an enthusiastic encourager to her chapter sisters. She consistently supports and reminds others of our community service projects. She jots off an email to share how easy a task was to complete. She speaks to a reserve member with deference and respect.  

Meg offers to help in all types of tasks: record-keeping, revamping forms, recognizing others’ achievements, remembering to call out raffle prizes! She is a wonderful wing-woman as a First Vice President, always bringing new ideas and fresh perspective to our chapter’s business, social, and service activities, while providing quiet steadfastness and dependability. Meg’s integrity and character engender trust among her colleagues: if you ask Meg to complete a task, there is no doubt it will be accomplished and accomplished well. 

Whether using her lilting soprano to help sing the DKG song, or rapidly figuring the amount of money we’ve collected for our NCDKG donations, Meg is a shining star on the move in our organization. Our chapter is blessed to have her as a member and a leader; she is so deserving of recognition as a Rising Star! 

As a generational DKG member whose mother was a member of our chapter, Rebecca “Becky” Kuszmaul benefits from experience. Becky possesses DKG wisdom, and Alpha Beta presidents depend upon Becky for insights and guidance. Dr. Annie Blanton relied upon co-founder Ruby Terill Lomax’s advice; officers rely on Becky’s skills and knowledge. Becky’s financial management instincts and large-chapter organizational interaction are key to our chapter’s growth and stability.

Becky became AB’s treasurer in 2004. Along with standard DKG treasurer duties, Becky bears responsibility for working with the NC Community Foundation to track our endowed Alpha Beta Chapter Scholarship. Becky tracks available funds, handles multi-year disbursements to students, and keeps a running spreadsheet to ensure NCCF records match her balance sheets. We rely on Becky's talents to continue offering scholarships to future educators.

Additionally, Becky tracks committee spending, providing chairs with project expenditures through the years. New committee chairs are grateful for her guidance and rely on her voluntary work to assist their leadership growth.

Becky’s compassionate heart is always generous during fundraisers. More than once, she personally paid dues for a member with dementia whose family didn’t recognize the importance of DKG to the member. Becky’s reliability as a friend led her to know what the member would want.   

Becky’s abiding love for DKG and our chapter is evidenced through her decades-long dedication to the AB treasurer office. We rely on Becky; her DKG legacy, like Mrs. Lomax’s legacy, lives in us! She is most deserving of the Golden Key Award.