You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.
About me
My name is Heather Payne Herron, and I am an Instructional Technology Facilitator at Swain Middle School in Bryson City, North Carolina. A proud graduate of Swain County Schools, I have spent all 33 years of my teaching career serving the students of Western North Carolina. I began my journey teaching 5th grade at Cherokee Elementary School for 6 years, before spending 18 years as a High School Science teacher at Swain County High School. Now, at Swain Middle School, I channel that same passion into leading professional development, curriculum alignment, and technology integration. In the summer of 2025, Swain Middle School was awarded the Golden Leaf Schools Initiative grant, which launched our school into an exciting five-year competency-based education transformation in partnership with Marzano Associates. I have been honored to help lead that work, grounded in Marzano's New Art and Science of Teaching, ever since. I love what I do, and I've told many people that I plan to retire only when I no longer have anything to offer and I'm not there yet! Outside of work, I am happily married to my husband David, cheering on my daughter Emma as she navigates her Junior year at Swain County High School, and enjoying every moment at home with my son Isaac.
