Here’s what Ms. McLean had to say about leading at BMS:
“I love working at Beaufort Middle School because I’m surrounded by dedicated educators, kindhearted students, and a supportive community that believes in the power of learning and growth. The spirit of Beaufort Middle makes me proud to be a Charger and grateful to serve this incredible community.”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. McLean as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Here’s what Dr. Howard had to say about leading at WOES:
“I love working for my school because White Oak Elementary is a special place to be, filled with supportive parents and a caring community that always lifts up our students and staff. Our Wildcats come to school ready to learn and grow, every day. They are the most caring, compassionate, and dedicated children who truly love school. The family atmosphere here makes it a joy to come to work, where our hustle and heart truly set us apart. I am so blessed to be a part of the WOES family!”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Dr. Howard as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Here’s what Ms. Propst had to say about leading at MCE:
“I believe we are truly working together as a team for the love of children and the success and future of our community.”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. Propst as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Today, we celebrate Allison Graham, Principal of Morehead City Middle School! 💙✨ Her dedication, leadership, and commitment to student success make a lasting impact every day.
Here’s what Ms. Graham had to say about leading at MCMS:
“The staff, students, parents, and community allow me to be the best version of myself as a leader. They support the vision I have for the school and the success of all students at MCMS!”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. Graham as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Today, we celebrate Brooke DePinto, Principal of Harkers Island Elementary School! 💙✨ Her dedication, leadership, and love for her school community make a lasting impact every day.
Here’s what Ms. DePinto had to say about leading at HIES:
“The school community of staff, students, and families at HIES is unmatched. It has been a joy to have the opportunity to really connect and build relationships with our students. Our staff is a small but mighty crew that embodies the idea of doing whatever it takes to meet the needs of our school. Many of our staff wear multiple hats, and they are all more than willing to step in for whatever is needed.”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. DePinto as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Here’s what Mr. Westbrook had to say about leading at East Carteret High:
“I enjoy seeing our dedicated teachers work each day to ensure students grow academically and personally. Their hard work fosters daily success and helps prepare and motivate students to become productive, responsible citizens after high school.”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Mr. Westbrook as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Today, we celebrate Deidre Arthur, Principal of Atlantic Elementary School! 💙✨ Her dedication, leadership, and love for her school community make a lasting impact every day.
Here’s what Ms. Arthur had to say about leading at Atlantic Elementary:
“I love working for my school because it’s the same school I grew up attending, a place and community that helped shape who I am. Now I get to give back and help create those same experiences for our students.”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. Arthur as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Here’s what Mrs. Bell had to say about leading at The Creek:
“Every day at The Creek I get to help students discover what they’re capable of becoming and to DREAM BIG. Watching both teachers and students grow academically and personally is the most rewarding part of my job. I’m especially passionate about linking students to meaningful learning experiences and connecting them to future career exploration opportunities.”
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Mrs. Bell as your principal! 🙌
#NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Today, we celebrate Wade Reifsnyder, principal at Newport Middle School! 💙✨ His dedication, leadership, and passion for student success make a lasting impact every day.
Here’s what Mr. Reifsnyder had to say about leading at NMS:
"Our students show up each day giving it their best. They come to school with a smile on their face ready to learn. Our staff care for and nurture our students to ensure they are finding success. Our community is very supportive!"
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Mr. R. as your principal! 🙌 #NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
🎉 Happy National Principals Month! 🎉
Today, we celebrate Ashley Medlin, principal at Bogue Sound Elementary School! 💙✨ Her dedication, leadership, and passion for student success make a lasting impact every day.
Here’s what Ms. Medlin had to say about leading at BSES:
"Our students are motivated, compassionate, and overall amazing! Our staff collaborate and support each other to do whatever it takes to grow our students to their maximum potential, academically and social-emotionally! Our families and community are incredibly supportive and generous! It's a blessing to serve BSES!"
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. Medlin as a principal! 🙌 #NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
🎉 Happy National Principals Month! 🎉
Today, we celebrate Laura Parish, principal at Newport Elementary School! 💙✨Her dedication, leadership, and passion for student success make a lasting impact every day.
Here’s what Ms. Parish had to say about leading NES:
"NES is the heart of our community. Our staff is truly all-in, doing whatever it takes to support our students, their families, and each other every single day!"
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. Parish as a principal! 🙌 #NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSProud #LeadershipMatters
Today, we celebrate Ms. Reba Lewis, principal at Smyrna Elementary and Down East Middle School! 💙✨ Her dedication, leadership, and passion for student success make a lasting impact every day.
Here's what Ms. Lewis loves about leading SES and DEMS:
"My community is amazing! We have responsive families, committed staff that are always willing to learn, and hard working students!"
We’d love to hear from you! 💬 Comment below and tell us what you admire about Ms. Lewis. 🙌 #NationalPrincipalsMonth #CCPSEngageEducateEmpower #LeadershipMatters
CCPS is hiring immediately for a Child Nutrition Services position in the Down East area!
Be part of a thriving community and help our students stay healthy, happy, and ready to learn. You’ll work with a great team that makes a daily difference in the lives of children.
✨ Why join us?
✅ Monday–Friday schedule (no nights or weekends!)
✅ Great benefits & competitive pay
✅ Supportive school environment
👉 Apply today at: https://bit.ly/ccpsjobs
Look for the “Child Nutrition Assistant – Applicant Pool” job description. 💙
In the article, she shares how Career & Technical Education (CTE) is transforming student learning and how innovative partnerships across Southeast NC are helping students shine brighter than ever. 💡📚✨
Read the full story here ➡️ https://www.dpi.nc.gov/blog/2025/10/14/celebrating-cte-and-spotlighting-innovation-southeast
💡 Bright Ideas Shine Bright in CCPS Classrooms! 💡
We’re thrilled to celebrate 31 Carteret County Public Schools educators who were surprised by the Prize Patrol this week, thanks to our amazing partners at Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative (CCEC) and the Carteret-Craven Electric Foundation! ⚡🍎
Together, they awarded more than $23,000 in Bright Ideas Education Grants to fund creative, hands-on projects that will inspire and engage over 7,800 students across our district! 🙌
We are so grateful for this incredible community partnership and for CCEC’s continued commitment to “building a brighter future” through support of public education. 💛
📚✨ Congratulations to our 2025 Bright Ideas Grant Winners!
Beaufort Elementary
Emily Webster – Lighting the Way to Calm
Keith Jayne & Karin Ernst – Bridging the Gap: Inclusive Learning with 3D Printing
Bogue Sound Elementary
Tony Lee Dowdy Jr. – Shadow’s Strings
Bridges Alternative School
Cynthia Ackerson Delafuente & Team – Hands-on Aquaponics Barrel and Farming Project
Broad Creek Middle
Mallory Munden – Aquaponics: A Study of Sustainability and Energy Cycling
Rob Condie & Team – Resilience in Music: Soundscapes of Nature
Heather Blackwell – Picture Books for Special Olympians
Carteret Preschool Center
Christie Seiler – STEM Explorers: A Sensory Science Lab for Pre-K
Croatan High School
Wendy Gartner & Roger Whaley – The Croatan Outdoor Learning Environment
Down East Middle School
Charlotte Johnson – Flexible Seating in the Middle School Classroom
East Carteret High
Melissa Perritt – Books & Breezes: A Courtyard Reading Retreat
Harkers Island Elementary
Ashley Surfass – Stepping into the Future
Morehead City Elementary
Christopher Langdon – Keys to Success
Susan Merrell – Growing our Minds by Getting our Hands Dirty
Kelly Riley – The Camp Glenn Caldecott Challenge
Morehead City Primary
Carla Starnes – The Calculus Cruiser, Mobile Math Unit
Claire Ross – Third Grade Thinkers
Amanda Ruffin McCall – Hear It, Read It, Love It!
Stephanie Hartley – Full STEM Ahead
Newport Elementary
Emily Golightly – Bringing Books to Life! Spreading the Joy of Reading Through Read-Aloud Manipulatives
Janelle Bryson – Get it Write!
Newport Middle School
Stacey Stehle – Solar Science in Action – Sun Sensation!
Todd M. Stehle – Seeing is Believing: An Immersive Optical & Auditory Illusion Classroom
Sequoia Sady – Empowering Future Innovators: Enhancing STEM Career Education Through 3D Printing Technology
Mackenzie Staten – Clay Traditions: NC Folk Art & Beyond
Smyrna Elementary
Dawn M. Simpson & Charlotte Johnson – ParkQuest: Real World National Park Engineering Design Challenge
West Carteret High School
Jessica Waugh – West Carteret High School Stormwater Study
Lorena Llano-Herbst – Empowering Heritage Spanish Learners through a Comprehensive Curriculum
Carl Briscoe – Igniting STEM Innovation: Integrating a Bambu Lab 3D Printer for Project-Based Learning
White Oak Elementary
Molly Anttila – Step into Reading: Providing Students with Leveled Texts that Grow with Them
Marie Foxworth – Bright Bots: Boosting Brainpower with Wonder Workshop
🎉👏 Congratulations, educators! Your bright ideas are making a big difference in classrooms across Carteret County.
Thank you again to @CarteretCravenElectric for helping us keep innovation alive and shining bright! ⚡🌟
Melissa is a CTE Health Sciences teacher at West Carteret High School 🏫💉, and she will now go on to represent CCPS at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher of the Year program, administered by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). 📚✨
This prestigious award recognizes promising new educators across North Carolina for their potential to shape the future of education. Honorees receive professional development opportunities, connections with other passionate educators, and support designed to help them thrive in their teaching careers. 🌎👏
Please join us in celebrating this outstanding accomplishment!
While we are grateful we've almost made it through the heart of hurricane season for ENC, we continue monitoring current storms in the Atlantic. At this time, while weather will certainly be rainy and windy over the next several days, there are no current severe weather conditions that should impact our school schedule for staff and students. We will continue to collaborate with EMS and Weather Officials to monitor weather conditions, however.✅
It’s also a good time to remind everyone of how we handle severe weather:
📡 We get regular briefings from the National Weather Service & Carteret County Emergency Management Services. (In this case, we have been monitoring updates for several days.)
📞 If forecasts could potentially turn into severe weather, we participate in direct calls & updates. (We have had collaborative calls/communications with officials this weekend and today.)
🚌 We balance safety (buses, drivers, parents, staff) with keeping instructional time and our official school calendar as intact as possible. We keep planning in mind for students, parents and staff, while also understanding that the weather can sometimes change rapidly.
📢 When a change in schedule is necessary, we share updates by email (staff), phone calls (staff/parents), social media, TV & newspaper (community). You can also check our website for the most recent weather updates at https://www.carteretcountyschools.org/
We’re thankful for our weather officials, emergency management departments, and all of our community partners who help us stay safe & prepared in Carteret County.
📍 Crystal Coast Civic Center (203 College Circle, MHC)
🗓️ October 16
⏰ 9:00–11:00 AM
👉 To substitute teach for CCPS, you must have an Effective Teacher Training Certificate and/or a Teaching License (current, expired, or out of state is acceptable).
💻 Email Katherine.Goodwin@carteretk12.org
to register today!
📢 NC State Superintendent Moe Green – Public Forum
All parents, students, educators, school staff, public officials, and community members are invited to attend a public forum on the statewide strategic plan, Achieving Educational Excellence.
📅 Friday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m.
📍 Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center, 261 NW Corridor Blvd., Jacksonville, NC 28540 (Onslow County Schools)
🔗 Register here: Eventbrite
📄 View the NCDPI strategic plan summary: Download
📈 67.5% Proficiency – an increase over last year and well above the state average of 55%
🎓 87.5% Graduation Rate – up 5.4% from last year
📚 Demonstrated growth in reading, math, and high school performance
⭐ Schools exceeding growth: Croatan High, Morehead Middle, Atlantic Elementary
These results show the dedication of our students, staff, and families — and we’re excited to keep building on this progress! 💙💛
🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/CCPS090325pressrelease
