Carteret County Public Schools -

Today's social media TAKEOVER is all about Smyrna Elementary School. Tell us your FAVORITE memory of SES, community members!

📍 Nestled in the heart of Down East Carteret County, Smyrna Elementary School has long been a cornerstone of its community and recently celebrated it's Centennial Anniversary. 🌊🏫

For generations, this school has served families across Smyrna and surrounding communities—once operating as a traditional K–8 school that brought students of all ages together under one roof.

As the needs of the community evolved, so did the campus. Today, Smyrna Elementary and Down East Middle School share the same location, continuing a proud tradition of education while better supporting students at each level 🎓

More than just a school, Smyrna Elementary is a true gathering place for the Down East community—a place where relationships are built, traditions are honored, and generations of families have walked the same halls ❤️

Recently, important upgrades like new security walls—made possible through bond funding—have strengthened the campus, ensuring a safe and secure environment for students and staff 🔒

From its deep roots to its continued growth, Smyrna Elementary remains a vital part of the Down East story 🌅

Start Here. Stay Here. Grow Here. 🌱

All month long, we’re shining a spotlight on our schools! Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, an elementary school will take over our page to show you what makes their school a great place to learn and grow.

This week:
📅 Tuesday – Smyrna Elementary
📅 Wednesday – Morehead City Primary
📅 Thursday – Morehead City Elementary

Follow along, get a closer look inside our classrooms, and see the difference for yourself.

📲 Enroll today: https://bit.ly/enrollccps

When you see a school you love—like, comment, and share! 👏

🎉 Congratulations to our Employee of the Year winners! 🎉 🍎 Classified Employee of the Year: Timmie Raynor – Newport Middle School 💻 Certified Employee of the Year: Su-Lin Banks – Newport Elementary School 📚 Assistant Principal of the Year: Kalen Biggers – Croatan High School 🏫 Principal of the Year: Chris Davis – Croatan High School 📖 Teacher of the Year: Caroline Shults – Newport Elementary School Thank you for your dedication, leadership, and commitment to our students and community. We appreciate all that you do! 👏✨

🏆 IT’S OUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR! 🏆

Today is all about celebrating the incredible people who make Carteret County Public Schools one of the very best in North Carolina — ranked 3rd in the state for academic excellence!

We are proud to honor outstanding individuals in the following categories:
✨ Classified Employee of the Year
✨ Certified Employee of the Year
✨ Assistant Principal of the Year
✨ Principal of the Year
✨ Teacher of the Year

🎉 And yes… one exceptional educator will drive away as our Teacher of the Year in a Chevy Equinox EV for an entire year, thanks to Kurtis Chevrolet!

Join us LIVE on Facebook at 1:30 PM to celebrate these amazing educators and see who takes home the honors — and the keys! 🚗

Let’s come together to recognize the h

🎉 THANK YOU TO OUR INCREDIBLE SPONSORS! 🎉

Today, we celebrate excellence across Carteret County Public Schools, and it simply would not be possible without the generous support of our amazing community partners.

A heartfelt thank you to our Event Sponsors:
🌟 Carteret County Farm Bureau (Gold)
🌟 Plain Jane’s Cleaning and Janitorial Supply (Silver)
🌟 Carteret Education Foundation
🌟 Safrit’s Building Supply

🚗 Special thanks to our Car Sponsor, Kurtis Chevrolet, for providing an unforgettable driving experience for our Teacher of the Year!

👏 We are also grateful for our Category & Partner Sponsors:
RE/MAX Ocean Properties, Hite Associates, Frank Door, Kirkman Whitford Law Firm, The Smile Makers, Sanborn Orthodontics, 21CS, and Chick-fil-A.

🍽️ And a huge thank you to Morehead City Country Club for hosting us and providing a wonderful luncheon for this special celebration.

Your support allows us to recognize the very best of CCPS and celebrate the people who make our district one of the top-performing in North Carolina. We are deeply grateful for your investment in our students, staff, and schools!

#CCPSProud #ThankYouSponsors #ExcellenceInEducation

🖤💛 Celebrating Excellence in the West! 🎉 We’re proud to spotlight the amazing staff members from our CCPS Western schools who represent the very best of CCPS. 👏📚 ✨ Bogue Sound Elementary 📚 Teacher of the Year: Emily Ladd 💻 Certified EOY: Julie Shoptaugh 🍎 Classified EOY: Patty Davis ✨ Broad Creek Middle 📚 Rebeccah Haines 💻 Heather Plourde 🍎 Terri Schmidt ✨ Croatan High 📚 Alyssa Hayden 💻 Jen Garman 🍎 Summer Sullivan ✨ Newport Elementary 📚 Caroline Shults 💻 Su-Lin Banks 🍎 Diana Willis ✨ Newport Middle 📚 Suzie Fernandez 💻 Mindi Koczot 🍎 Timmie Raynor ✨ White Oak Elementary 📚 Rebecca Self 💻 Pam Clifton 🍎 Danyelle Grant Each school has named outstanding representatives in every category—congratulations! 🌟 All nominees will be honored this Friday at the CCPS Employee of the Year Luncheon and Awards Ceremony at the Morehead City Country Club. 🏆 Thank you to more of our sponsors: Kirkman, Whitford, Berryman, Gordon and Brown Law Firm, 21st Century Software Technologies (21CS), Sanborn Orthodontics, and Chick-fil-A 🙌 👀 Now the big question… Who will be named our district Employees of the Year? And which Teacher of the Year will drive away in a brand new Chevy Equinox EV? 🚗⚡ We’ll find out tomorrow!

💙♥️Celebrating Excellence in the Central Area! 📚 Today we recognize the incredible staff members from our CCPS Central area schools who make a difference every single day. 👏 ✨ Bridges School 📚 Teacher of the Year: Melanie Craig 💻 Classified Jennifer Proulx 🍎 Jessica Gibson ✨ Carteret Preschool Center 📚 Candy McPherson 💻 Michelle Barnett 🍎 Christie Seiler ✨ Morehead City Primary 📚 Garrett Gavalis 💻 Missy Savage 🍎 Stacy Smith ✨ Morehead City Elementary 📚 Lorrie Johnson 💻 Sheri Whipple 🍎 Mary Rinehart ✨ Morehead City Middle 📚 Jason Robison 💻 Betsy Johnson 🍎 Angela Mozingo ✨ West Carteret High 📚 Jessica Lewis 💻 Mickie Broadhurst 🍎 Laura Prestwich Each site has selected their top Classified Employee, Certified Employee, and Teacher of the Year—well deserved! 🌟 All nominees will be celebrated this Friday at the CCPS Employee of the Year Luncheon and Awards Ceremony at the Morehead City Country Club. 🏆 Thank you to more sponsors: RE/MAX Ocean Properties, The Smile Makers, Hite and Associates, and Frank Door 🙌

Celebrating Excellence in the East! 💜 📚Today we’re proud to recognize the outstanding employees from our CCPS Eastern schools and district support teams who go above and beyond each day. 👏 (Tomorrow, we'll honor Central Schools and Wednesday, Western Schools) ✨ Atlantic Elementary 📚 Teacher of the Year: Faith Ann Styron 💻 Certified Employee of the Year: Lindsay Nelson 🍎 Classified Employee of the Year: Rodney Milford ✨ Beaufort Elementary 📚 Catherine Clontz 💻 Kristina Zangwill 🍎 Sean Westmoreland ✨ Beaufort Middle 📚 Stephanie Dollar 💻 Nate Stevens 🍎 Ann Joyner ✨ Down East Middle 📚 Shannon Mullins 💻 Patrick Kelly 🍎 Katherine Price ✨ East Carteret High 📚 Karran Millis 💻 Pam Roberson 🍎 Amy Matthews ✨ Harkers Island Elementary 📚 Jill Lindstrom 💻 Allison Guthrie 🍎 Sherri Guthrie ✨ Smyrna Elementary 📚 Staci Rhinehardt 💻 Bridget Davis 🍎 Katherine Price ✨ Central Services 📚 Georgiana Small ✨ Maintenance 🛠️ Tip Thompson ✨ Transportation 🚌 Taylor Brinson Each of these individuals represents the very best of CCPS! 🌟 All nominees will be honored at the CCPS Employee of the Year Luncheon and Awards Ceremony this Friday at the Morehead City Country Club, where winners will be announced for: 🏆 Classified Employee of the Year 🏆 Certified Employee of the Year 🏆 Teacher of the Year 🏆 Assistant Principal of the Year 🏆 Principal of the Year Special thanks to our Event sponsors: Farm Bureau Carteret (Gold), Plain Jane’s Cleaning and Supply (Silver), Safrit’s Building Supply (Bronze), and Carteret Education Foundation 🙌 🚗 And thank you to Kurtis Chevrolet, our car sponsor! More sponsors recognized tomorrow!

🛝✨ Newport Elementary is celebrating a big step forward with its new inclusive playground — creating a space where every child can learn, play, and belong. “One of our core values at Newport Elementary is that every student has a home here, meaning all students should feel loved, seen, and have equitable access to learning and social opportunities,” said Principal Laura Parish. 💙💛 Thank you to our community partners, Big Rock and Frank Door for helping make this special space possible for students for years to come. 🌟 Read more here: https://bit.ly/042826ccps

💜 We’re proud to share that our school system and has been awarded the Purple Star Legacy Award for maintaining our status as a Purple Star District for six consecutive years! 🇺🇸⭐ This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting military-connected students and their families—ensuring they feel welcomed, supported, and set up for success in every one of our schools. 💪📚 A heartfelt thank you to our regional military liaisons, our partners at local and regional military installations, and our dedicated school personnel who care so deeply for military-connected families each day. Most of all, thank you to our active military and veteran families who trust us with their students—we are honored to serve you. 💜👏 #PurpleStarDistrict #MilitaryFamilies #PurpleStarLegacy #WeSupportOurTroops

Congratulations to our incredible 5th grade runners! 🏃‍♂️🎉

At the annual Morehead City–Lookout Rotary 1-Mile Run for Health. These students led the pack:

🥇 1st Place: Koa Ouellette (White Oak Elementary)
🥈 2nd Place: Liam Boyce (White Oak Elementary)
🥉 3rd Place: Matthew Soderquist (Newport Elementary)

Way to represent your schools and show what dedication and healthy habits can achieve! 💪

Last week, our students got a hands-on look at their future at our CTE annual Steer Your Career event 🚜✨ 

We were honored to welcome Scott Reintgen—a former North Carolina English & creative arts teacher—who returned to inspire CCPS students with his journey to becoming a successful author 📚✨ He shared insights into his writing process and stories filled with perseverance, action, drama, and page-turning plots students truly connect with 💡🔥 Thank you for visiting and inspiring readers at Newport Middle, Morehead City Middle, Broad Creek Middle, and Beaufort Middle! 🙌📖

🎨🖼️ Thank you to State Employees’ Credit Union in Beaufort, NC, for hosting an art show featuring student work from schools in the eastern part of our county. 💙 We appreciate your support of our students and the arts ✨

📚✨ MCES Battle of the Books team represented in Wilmington! 💪📍 They placed 5th overall 🏆—competition was tough. 🔥 CCPS is proud of these students and all their hard work! 👏📖💙

💜🎖️ Today we proudly “Purple Up” in support of our military-connected students and families! 💜🇺🇸 As a Purple Star District, every one of our schools is recognized for going above and beyond to support military children—ensuring they feel welcomed, supported, and valued every day. 🌟🏫 To our military families: thank you for your service, sacrifice, and strength. We are honored to serve YOU! 💜👏 #PurpleUp #MilitaryFamilies #PurpleStarDistrict

🌷 Spring Break is here! 🌞 There will be no school for students or staff April 6–10. We hope everyone enjoys the sunshine ☀️, gets plenty of rest 😌, and spends quality time with family ❤️. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back next Monday—ready to finish the year strong! 💪

🎓✨ Carteret County Public Schools is proud to announce the NC State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Scholarship recipients! 👏 🏫 CHS: Carter “Banks” Ketner 🏫 ECHS: Isaac Moss 🏫 WCHS: Noah Keys The SECU Scholarship recognizes outstanding seniors who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership, character, and a commitment to community service 🌟📚🤝. This scholarship helps support their continued education at a North Carolina public university. Congratulations to these deserving students—we can’t wait to see what you accomplish next! 🚀🎉

❤️🏫 Heart Safe & Proud! 🚑⚡ Atlantic Elementary School has officially earned its Heart Safe School designation through Project ADAM—a national program dedicated to saving lives through cardiac emergency preparedness. Project ADAM helps schools across the country prepare for sudden cardiac arrest by ensuring staff are trained in CPR/AED use, emergency response plans are in place, and life-saving equipment is readily available when every second counts. This recognition means Atlantic Elementary has gone above and beyond to create a safer environment for students, staff, and visitors—because being prepared can make all the difference. 💙👏