North Carolina School Boards Association Chooses New Officers

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) elected new officers and seven new members to the governing Board of Directors during the delegate meeting of the 2022 Annual Conference for Board Member Development. NCSBA’s new president is Darrell Pennell from Caldwell County; president-elect is Jennifer Thompson, Cherokee Central School; vice president is Margaret Bradsher, Person County; and treasurer is Mac Hodges, Beaufort County. Officers will serve a one-year term.

Members elected to serve a first two-year term on the Association’s Board of Directors are Leisa Batts, Greene County; Wendi Craven, Burke County; Terry English, McDowell County; Deanna Kaplan, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County; Rick Singletary, Scotland County; Jeff Tatham, Cherokee County; and Mike Williams, Roanoke Rapids Graded Schools.

The Board of Directors establishes the mission and goals for the Association and ensures that NCSBA activities and programs remain focused on these goals. In addition, the officers and directors are the personal communications link between their regions and the Association.

Wilson County Board of Education Member Wins Prestigious Award

Henry Mercer of the Wilson County Board of Education is the 2022-2023 recipient of the Raleigh Dingman Award for Outstanding Boardsmanship. To receive this esteemed award, which is given annually by the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA), a board member must be peer-nominated by their local school board.

“Our 2022-23 Raleigh Dingman recipient has been described as a kind, humble, and caring individual with a wonderful sense of humor and humility,” said NCSBA Executive Director Leanne Winner during the announcement. Mercer, a former teacher and administrator, visits local schools weekly to let the students and staff know how much they are appreciated. He serves with passion and commitment, whether seated at the board table or volunteering to help students. Instilling the value of having an education is a message Mercer shares with students every chance available and he uses this passion and devotion to make a difference for the entire district. “I believe our Raleigh Dingman winner will now make a difference for children across the state,” said Winner.

The Raleigh Dingman Award is the highest honor bestowed on a North Carolina school board member. The award is named in honor of Dr. Raleigh Dingman, the Association’s first full-time executive director, and was first presented at the 1981 annual conference. In 2002 legislation was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly that provides for the Raleigh Dingman Award winner to serve as an ex officio advisor to the state board of education and to attend meetings and participate in deliberations of the state board. Mercer will serve in this capacity.

Dr. Don Phipps, Superintendent of Caldwell County Schools, was named the 2023 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year.

The award is jointly presented annually by the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA), the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA) and the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA). Scholastic Education Solutions, who sponsored the event, also provided $5,000 in recognition of Dr. Phipps’ monumental achievement.

Dr. Phipps joined Caldwell County Schools as superintendent in 2018 and since that time has been a driving force in creating positive change in his district, particularly in the areas of budget management, student wellness, and community involvement.

“It’s overwhelming and a real honor for me to represent the superintendents in North Carolina with the work that they do and to call them all my peers,” said Phipps. “Gratitude is not a strong enough word. I look forward to serving them and representing them.”

Jack Hoke, Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association, praised Phipps for the leadership that has earned him the top honor for local superintendents in NC. “Dr. Don Phipps is a leader among leaders,” Hoke said.

As the 2023 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Phipps will compete at the national level for Superintendent of the Year at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education, in San Antonio, TX.

The 2023 North Carolina Regional Superintendents of the Year, all of whom were nominees for this prestigious state award, were also recognized as such at the ceremony:

• Region 1 | Northeast | Dr. Ethan Lenker, Pitt County Schools
• Region 2 | Southeast | Dr. Jerry L. Oates, Brunswick County Schools
• Region 3 | Central | Ms. Catty Q. Moore, Wake County Schools
• Region 4 | Sandhills | Dr. Aaron Fleming, Harnett County Schools
• Region 5 | Piedmont/Triad | Dr. Todd Martin, Yadkin County Schools
• Region 6 | Southwest | Dr. Jeff Booker, Gaston County Schools
• Region 7 | Northwest | Dr. Don Phipps, Caldwell County Schools
• Region 8 | Western | Ms. Angela Knight, Graham County Schools

Columbus County Commissioners Recognized by School Boards Association

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) presented its prestigious County Commissioners of the Year Award to the Columbus Board of County Commissioners.

The board was recognized during the awards ceremony of the Association’s 2022 Annual Conference for Board Member Development in Greensboro on November 15. The Columbus County Board of Education nominated their commissioners for the award and described them as a board that truly understands the importance of education and steps up to meet the school district’s needs without fail. Last year, the commissioners joined the district during its strategic planning process and then increased this year’s school funding by 15.7 percent to help meet the goals of the strategic plan. Their monetary support has played a vital role in allowing the district to improve technology resources, increase the graduation rate, build two state-of-the-art facilities, and put a school resource officer in each school. These county commissioners are dedicated to their partnership with the school district.

The County Commissioners of the Year Award is given to a board of county commissioners that is nominated by the local board of education in recognition of their extraordinary efforts.

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) announced the winners of three statewide student contests held in conjunction with the NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development: an elementary school poster contest, middle school video contest, and high school video contest. The conference was held in Greensboro November 14-16.

The high school video contest teams placing first, second, and third attended the awards ceremony held in November 15 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. Cash prizes were sponsored by the Association and Fairbanks, LLC.

• First Place and $3,000 – Hibriten High School, Caldwell County
• Second Place and $2,000 – South Lenoir High School, Lenoir County
• Third Place and $1,000 – Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy, Caldwell County

In addition, judges identified 9 additional videos to receive honorable mention. All finalist and honorable mention videos are available for viewing at http://www.ncsba.org/training/student-contests.

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) announced the winners of three statewide student contests held in conjunction with the NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development: an elementary school poster contest, middle school video contest, and high school video contest. The conference was held in Greensboro November 14-16.

The middle school video contest winning video group each received a VISA gift card for the class that will be presented during an upcoming local school board meeting. Winners were as follows:

• First Place – STEM Early High School, Vance County
• Second Place – West Stanly Middle School, Stanly County
• Third Place Tie – Bertie Middle School, Bertie County

Wilson County Community Member Wins Prestigious Award

Christy Proctor, owner of Chick-Fil-A in Wilson, has been award the Association’s new 2022 Champion of Education award. This award recognizes those individuals, businesses, community members, employees, or school board members who have demonstrated ongoing dedication to the success of our K-12 students and the betterment of public schools in North Carolina.

Proctor is a business owner who employs approximately 50 local students at her two Chick-Fil-A franchises. However, she is more than just an employer — she uses the opportunity to mentor and empower her employees to develop leadership skills and grow into successful young adults. Not only does Proctor ensure her employees keep their grades up and celebrate academic and extracurricular achievements with them, but she has also awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to seniors. She sponsors a high school leader academy and partners with schools to help students learn about workforce readiness, soft skills, and career opportunities. And for more than a decade, Proctor has supported the schools by collecting donations for the district’s annual backpack drive, rallying the community to support students in need.

NCSBA presented the award to the Wilson County school board. The board will honor Proctor at an upcoming meeting.

Project REACH Earns Wilson County Recognition

The Innovation and Excellence in Public Education Award was awarded to Wilson County for its Project REACH program. This is a new award established to recognize the exemplary work of school boards that have found creative solutions to district challenges.

When this district realized how many students were not engaged in school during the pandemic, the board gave their full support to the creation of Project REACH. In January 2021, the superintendent initiated the project to identify students with 10 or more unexcused absences. The dedicated Project REACH Taskforce set out to connect with nearly 650 disengaged students, often through home visits, to address barriers and provide resources. Thanks in part to this board’s unwavering leadership, the district has reengaged 1,442 students since the initiative began

For its exemplary work, NCSBA awarded the district during the awards ceremony held on November 15 during the Association’s annual conference in Greensboro.