Our QDR Gold Star Teacher of the Month for April is Chief Jonathan Denton, Fire Technologies Teacher at Harnett Central High School.

Chief Denton was nominated by many, including, Hailley Allen, who says, “He has inspired me and pushed me to my best. He has passed along his knowledge of a firefighter down to me and made me the best I could. He has always been there for me even in my darkest times. He puts his student before anything. He respects them and treats them as equals. He teaches so much more then firefighter skills but how to be a good person. How to give respect and how to appreciate what we have in front of us. He teaches us how to lead and with the position comes responsibility. Taking responsibility for our problems and mistakes and paying the consequences. And then learning from them and growing. He brings the school together. He gets the special education class involved and gets hands-on experience with the fire tech skills. He helps his students become a team. To respect each other and how to work together. Personal he taught me that through the tough times there are ways to get through it. He taught me how to be a leader and how to lead. He teaches how to gain the respect and trust from a group that you lead. In the end Chief Denton taught me how to push myself and how to help push other to do their best.

Chief Denton received a commemorative plaque from Creative Images in Cary, $100 from Crabtree to shop at Auntie Anne’s, and an additional $100 to shop anywhere at Crabtree, a community staple for more than 50 years! His picture will also be featured on the jumbo screen at Crabtree, just below the food court for the month of April.