My name is Lori Smith, and this is my seventh year at New Dimensions Charter School.  I have been teaching students with special needs in the classroom for seventeen years and have loved every minute of it!  This is my second year working as the  EC Coordinator here at New Dimensions for the 2025-2026 School Year.

I was raised in the mid-west and fell in love with teaching students who have special needs at a very young age.  I started as a teacher's assistant at age nineteen and knew that this was a passion that I wanted to pursue.  I worked my way through college while working full-time as an EC Teacher's Assistant and raising a family of three.  I started my first teaching position at a small high school in rural Missouri in 2006,  and worked there for 7 years.

  In 2013, I moved to North Carolina and continued teaching  students with special needs at the elementary level for several years before I moved to Morganton in 2019.  At that time, I was blessed  to secure a teaching position at New Dimensions and have been here ever since.  I love the students, families, and staff that make this school feel like home!

I have several hobbies that help make Morganton the perfect place to be.  I love anything outdoors, including:  waterfall hikes, camping, fishing, traveling, gardening, photography/videography and anything related to the history of the Appalachian Mountains.  School breaks are a great time to spend traveling and visiting my children, grandchildren,  extended family, and my friends.  

I am looking forward to this school year as I continue to work with the students and families that I love so dearly.

                             WARRIOR PRIDE!