an African American woman with black hair and a gray jacket smiles at the camera

Pauline Merritt

English Teacher at Crest High School

Pauline Merritt is a 23 year veteran English teacher in Shelby, NC where she has taught grades 6-12. Merritt’s career is summarized as stepping up and stepping in by imparting knowledge and empowerment to her students. Merritt was honored to be selected as one of 24 teachers nationwide to serve in a cohort sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities at UNC-Wilmington in 2023. An amateur poet, Merritt won first place in the NC Career Development Poetry and Art Contest (2024). She has devoted her career to reaching students in and out of the classroom, serving on numerous boards and committees, coaching basketball and track, and as an afterschool tutor and bus driver. Merritt and her husband raised two academically gifted star athletes, who attend NC State and UNC-CH.