Wake County School Board Honors Local Leaders in Education and Environmental Stewardship
Recognitions reflect WCPSS’s continued celebration of educators and support personnel who go above and beyond to shape students' academic, emotional, and environmental well-being.
Raleigh, NC, Jun. 26, 2025 — The Wake County Board of Education recognized two exceptional individuals at its meeting on June 24, highlighting their longstanding service and meaningful contributions to student development and environmental education within the district.
Deirdre Martyn Named Wake County School Psychologist of the Year
The Board recognized Deirdre Martyn as the 2024–2025 Wake County School Psychologist of the Year. Martyn is in her 17th year as a school psychologist, with 15 of those years spent in Wake County. She currently supports students at Forest Pines Elementary and Wake Forest Middle School.
Her multifaceted leadership includes guiding the Behavioral Health Universal Screening Team, coaching Girls on the Run, and serving as the Student Instructional Support Personnel Acute Crisis Team Lead. At the school level, she works closely with administration and faculty as a member of the School Improvement Team, using academic and behavioral data to develop targeted interventions.
For example, after observing rising anxiety levels among students, Martyn collaborated with a school counselor to lead a small group using the Coping Cat curriculum, a program focused on teaching children how to manage anxiety. She also led staff-wide training in the Zones of Regulation, a framework designed to enhance students’ self-regulation skills. To extend support beyond the classroom, Martyn authors a monthly parent newsletter filled with evidence-based strategies, with each issue focused on a key behavioral health topic.
At the district level, she serves as a member of the Crisis Team, guiding school personnel through acute incidents. At the state level, she has been a member of the North Carolina School Psychology Association Board for nine years and currently serves as its President.
Board members expressed heartfelt gratitude for her impact. Board Member Cheryl Caulfield commended the role of psychological services in student success.
“We are incredibly lucky to have her in WCPSS helping to support the children of the Wake County Public School System! Thank you so much for everything you do, Mrs. Martyn!”
Greenhouse at Broughton High to Be Named in Honor of Laura Woods
The Board also unanimously approved naming the greenhouse at Broughton High School in honor of retired biology teacher Laura Woods, who taught at the school for 36 years and retired in June 2023.
Ms. Woods is best known as the founder and faculty advisor of Broughton’s S.A.F.E. Club (Student Action for the Environment), where she led student-led efforts, including campus recycling programs, Wake County Big Sweep cleanups, and Earth Day awareness campaigns. These efforts have had a lasting positive impact on both the school and the larger community.
Throughout her career, Woods was recognized with significant honors, including being named the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District’s Environmental Educator of the Year in 1995 and Broughton High School’s Teacher of the Year during the 1999–2000 school year.
The greenhouse holds special significance, as it has been central to her teaching philosophy of hands-on, experiential learning in the sciences. Under her direction, generations of students studied plant biology, sustainable agriculture, and ecosystem management within the space.
According to the formal nomination presented by Broughton’s Science Department and supported by the school administration and the Central Area Superintendent, the naming meets all WCPSS Board Policy 9300 requirements. Broughton Science Chair Angie Tunney wrote:
“Naming the greenhouse after Laura Woods would recognize her service, honor her impact on science education, inspire future generations, and create a lasting tribute to her educational legacy.”
These recognitions reflect WCPSS’s continued celebration of educators and support personnel who go above and beyond to shape students' academic, emotional, and environmental well-being.