Building Excellence: Bunn High’s Billy Longson Named 2026–27 FCS NCCAT CTE Teacher of the Year

In a classroom filled with sawdust, precision, and purpose, William “Billy” Longson has spent nearly two decades doing more than teaching carpentry. He has been building futures.

That work is now being recognized at the district level.

Longson, a carpentry teacher at Bunn High School with 19 years of experience, has been named the Franklin County Schools 2026–27 NCCAT Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher of the Year. As the district’s honoree, he will go on to represent Franklin County Schools in regional and state-level competition through the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT).

This recognition reflects not only his longevity in the classroom, but the consistency and impact of a program that has become one of the most respected in the state.

Longson brings a rare combination of classroom instruction and industry expertise to his students. In addition to his teaching credentials, he holds North Carolina licenses in residential and commercial building, as well as home inspection. That real-world experience shapes a learning environment where students are not only taught concepts, but expected to apply them.

Over the years, that approach has translated into measurable success.

Students in Longson’s program have earned top placements in state and regional competitions for more than a decade, including repeated success at the North Carolina State Fair Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Contest. In recent years, Bunn High School students have achieved an unprecedented milestone — winning the NC Pre-Apprenticeship Shed Competition three consecutive years, a first in the competition’s history.

Those accomplishments have extended beyond the competition floor. Longson and his students have been invited multiple times to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in Raleigh to be recognized for their achievements and contributions to workforce development and registered apprenticeship pathways. They were honored at statewide receptions in 2023 and 2025, with invitations extended again in 2024.

In his classroom, students learn to read blueprints, measure accurately, and execute projects with attention to detail. Just as importantly, they develop habits that extend far beyond carpentry — discipline, teamwork, problem-solving, and confidence in their abilities. Many leave his program not only with technical skills, but with a clearer sense of direction for their future.

Colleagues and students alike describe his classroom as a place where expectations are high, support is constant, and success is earned.

Longson’s recognition as the FCS NCCAT CTE Teacher of the Year highlights the broader impact of Career and Technical Education across Franklin County Schools — programs designed to connect learning with real-world application and prepare students for both college and career pathways.

As he advances to the regional and state levels of the NCCAT process, Longson carries with him not only his own accomplishments, but the work of the students he has mentored and the program he has built over nearly two decades.