Every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month, but it hasn’t always been that way. Women’s History Month was officially recognized by Congress in 1987. It originally began as “Women’s History Week” in 1980 as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. Today, this month, is to recognize and honor women’s contributions throughout American history.
We asked a few female teachers here at West Forsyth High School about some of their accomplishments, highlighting their impact and shining a spotlight on their influence in shaping our communities.
Barbara Knapper-Bolden
Dr. Knapper-Bolden is a Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FACS) teacher. FACS teachers instruct students and help them navigate adult life. She shared one of the things she does to help make an impact on our community.
“Lots of the things that I do for the community actually involve WS/FCS students. One of those things would be helping to raise funds for students who are homeless for Project Hope,” Knapper-Bolden said.
While helping students navigate through life, she provided some advice for women in general:
“So what I would say is never settle. Always be aware of your worth and work toward your goals. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot succeed,” Knapper-Bolden said.
Dana Myers
Dana Myers is an English 3 teacher who many students tend to look up to, thanks to her bright personality and strong will to continue throughout everything to help her students. Myers shared her proudest accomplishments throughout her life while teaching.
“I am both an author and educator and a lifelong student. I have several published books on Amazon. I’m really proud of having that accomplishment, being able to take a book all the way from an idea to something that somebody can actually hold in their hands and read. The other accomplishments are my education as a person who did not complete high school. I was able to get a master’s degree and I’m currently working on my doctorate, which says a lot about how important education is to me,” Myers said.
Kenley Bentley
Kenley Bentley is a social studies teacher teaching World History here at West Forsyth High School. Bentley had won teacher of the year for the 2026-2027 school year. Bentley shared her biggest accomplishment of being a teacher.
“Last December, I did my National Boards, and it took about three years to do. It’s a teacher accreditation where we have to film ourselves teaching and write papers to kind of prove that we can teach. It was a big accomplishment because it took me three years to do, and it was a lot of work I had to do while teaching. I’m proud of it because it showed me that I can multitask and do things that are difficult when I didn’t think I could do it,” Bentley said.
Bentley was able to overcome hardships when in doubt and earned her National Board Certification, which is the highest voluntary professional credential in K-12 teaching.
Jaela Marshal
Jaela Marshal is an English teacher here at West Forsyth High School. She has taught for 13 years in three different countries: the United States, South Korea and Japan. Marshal shared one of her proudest accomplishments.
“A significant moment of my life was realizing that not only did I not belong in the box society expects me to fit in, but I destroyed the box,” Marshal said.
For Marshal, an accomplishment was realizing that she was capable of refusing to fit into societal norms and making a statement about autonomy, as shown in her lively teaching style.
As we recognize the achievements of the women here at West Forsyth, let us continue to support their contributions not just this month, but every day. Women’s History Month is not only about acknowledging past accomplishments but also inspiring future generations to continue making an impact.
