CTE Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Ashley Crawford, our 2025 CTE Teacher of the Year! 

Ashley, an Adobe Certified Professional, teaches Adobe Creative Cloud and Career Management courses at Shelby High School. A graduate of UNC Charlotte with a degree in English, she spent 12 years teaching high school English and middle school Language Arts before transitioning to CTE technology. Now in her third year teaching CTE, Ashley also serves as the Photography Club Advisor at Shelby High.

Her teaching journey has taken her through Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County Schools, and within Cleveland County, she has taught at Shelby Intermediate and Shelby Middle before joining Shelby High School.

Reflecting on her move to CTE, Ashley says, “Instilling my passion for creativity and design into my content area is teacher bliss! CTE helps to get students through the door every day. Having the opportunity to teach my passion and bring students through the door… It. Is. Everything.”

As the CTE Teacher of the Year, Ashley receives an award and a $500 prize sponsored by Albemarle Corporation, a well-deserved recognition of her dedication and impact on students.