RALEIGH, N.C. – Barwell Road Elementary School has a lot to celebrate during the holiday season.

• Barwell Road Elementary School has the most nationally certified teachers of any school in U.S.
• The school has 10 certified teachers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
• It took second-grade teacher John Cox two years to earn certification

Thanks to some diligent teachers, the school has the most nationally certified teachers of any school in the U.S.

Second-grade teacher John Cox, one of 10 teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards at the school, spent the past two years getting certified.

“If I could describe it, it was akin to me getting another master's degree,” Cox said. “I don't have a strong written voice. However, my scores came back extremely strong on the last two components, one of which was filming me in the classroom, the other was much more about knowledge of students and data collection.”

Cox combines his penchant for teaching with his passion: Star Wars.

“For me, the engagement is the core central piece in what you're doing,” Cox said. “You can have rigorous information, but if the students are not bought into the process that you're doing, absolutely no learning is happening.”

But like Star Wars character Master Yoda, Cox likes to pass his wisdom to students.

“With Star Wars, I express both my passion, my love and I express those high expectations,” Cox said. “There is a reason Yoda is up on my wall saying, 'Do or do not. There is no try.’ Because if a student is not applying themselves to the fullest, they are setting themselves up for failure in the future.”