Last Updated on May 17, 2026 2:53 pm
Sarah Miller, the longtime Theatre Arts director at Watauga High School & Innovation Academy, received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on Saturday — North Carolina's highest civilian honor — in a surprise presentation at a school event.
Co-director Zach Walker presented the award to Miller on May 16 at Watauga High School. Student Rachel Ingram was also part of the surprise presentation.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine has been awarded by North Carolina's governors since 1963 to individuals who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. Recipients are named honorary North Carolina ambassadors.
Miller, a Watauga High School graduate herself, has directed the school's Pioneer Playmakers program for decades. She was a member of the inaugural Playmakers troupe as a student before returning to WHS as a teacher, co-directing the theatre department alongside Walker. She is retiring at the end of this school year.
Under Miller's direction, the Playmakers have competed at the state level 19 times and won the state championship twice. The program earned its most celebrated achievement in March 2025, when the Playmakers traveled to Baltimore and won five awards at the national competition, including Outstanding Ensemble — the only ensemble acting award given — and Best Original Play Composition. Their production, “Surge,” was an original play the students wrote about Hurricane Helene's impact on Watauga County.
In 2025, Miller was also named a national honorable mention nominee for the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, presented annually by the Tony Awards and sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. She was one of 23 educators selected for the honor nationwide.
Miller and Walker have also received the North Carolina Theatre Conference Excellence in Teaching Award.
Photos & Video: Kenneth Reece/WataugaOnline
