The statewide award is just one of several honors Slagle has received during the past two years. A former SMES Teacher of the Year, Slagle was honored as a WLOS Teacher of the Week and was named Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year last year. Slagle also received an award from the Eastern Band of Cherokee's Tribal Council for her intensive studies of Native American culture. The local team was selected based on its outstanding performance in building team identity, curriculum knowledge and integration, student achievement and success and special team activities. For Fairview's eighth-grade team, curriculum integration among language arts, math, science, social studies and computer technology is a continuous process.
Care is given that students meet all their class members through diverse grouping.
Each fall students take part in an outdoor classroom at Apple Tree Campground where they explore stream life, archaeology, team-building and social skills. The teaching team also leads a five-day trip that takes their students across North Carolina to study saltwater marshes, sea birds, plant life and state history.