By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

NORTH SMITHFIELD — The North Smithfield public school system hasn’t changed all that much since Harold V. Demers began teaching at the high school in 1975.

In Demers’ eyes, it’s still the same school community now as it was 35 years ago — a community, he says, of “dedicated teachers and staff and kids who are still well-mannered and serious about their education.”
“This was my first job. I got lucky and it’s been an enjoyable experience ever since,” said Demers.
And because of that, Demers, a history teacher and social studies department chairman at North Smithfield High School, has never really had the desire to teach anywhere else.
His devotion to the school system hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. The veteran educator
was selected as one of the top educators in the nation in Wal-Mart’s 13th annual Teacher of the Year program.
In front of a classroom of 28 students at a surprise ceremony on Wednesday morning, Woonsocket Wal-Mart store manager David Rappa presented Demers with a $1,000 grant for North Smithfield Schools, a personalized certificate and a $100 Wal-Mart gift card to buy supplies for his classroom.
“I was pretty surprised,” said Demers, adding he had no idea he was getting an award until Rappa and Principal David Silva walked into the classroom just after 9:30 a.m. and gave him the good news. Demers was nominated for the award by his students.
“I’m really honored and excited to have received this recognition,” he said. “This is a great school with some great kids and it’s been a pleasure to have worked here all these years.”
Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year program is one of the largest teacher recognition efforts in the country, giving $4.9 million this year alone to the schools of winning teachers.  Since the Teacher of the Year program began in 1995, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has honored more than 26,000 teachers nationwide and donated more than $29 million to local schools. In 2007, the company provided more than $67 million in support of educational initiatives.
“Our area has fantastic teachers,” said Rappa. “We are pleased to honor Mr. Demers as the Teacher of the Year and to share this great news with our community.”
Demers, who reside in Smithfield, are known as a teacher who brings history to life for his students. In 2006, Demers and former senior students Brad Allard, Thomas Mrva and Jennifer Juhr came home with an Outstanding State Senior entry award for their National History Day Contest project entitled: Confronting Injustice in Rhode Island: Thomas Dorr’s Endeavor for Suffrage
Over the next few days, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club associates across the country are announcing the names of teacher winners. One teacher is selected by each Wal-Mart Distribution Center, through nominations by members of the community during August and selected by a committee of facility associates. Nationwide more than 4,000 teachers are being honored by Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year program.