THAT'S A WRAP!
October has been a month full of learning, leadership, and celebration across Pender County Schools! From exciting playoff runs and student achievements to creative classroom projects and community events, our students and staff continue to make us proud every single day. Their hard work, teamwork, and dedication shine brightly as we move deeper into the school year. 💙📚
As we wrap up our Month of Awareness and celebrate Red Ribbon Week, we’re reminded of the incredible heart and spirit within our schools. Whether it’s supporting a cause, excelling in academics, or cheering on our athletes, Pender County continues to show what it means to be strong, compassionate, and united. Dive into this week’s stories to see how our schools are making a difference — both in the classroom and beyond! 🎉👏
❤️ CLOSING OUT OUR MONTH OF AWARENESS WITH RED RIBBON WEEK
As October comes to a close, Pender County Schools is proud to wrap up our Month of Awareness by celebrating Red Ribbon Week, a nationwide campaign dedicated to promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles. Throughout the week, students and staff across the district have participated in themed days, classroom lessons, and school-wide activities that encourage making positive choices and standing together for a safe and supportive community.
Red Ribbon Week is more than just a series of spirit days—it’s a reminder that each of us plays a role in building a culture of respect, responsibility, and wellness. From promoting kindness and mental health awareness to reinforcing the importance of saying “yes” to healthy living and “no” to drugs, our schools have shown incredible unity and pride. Thank you to everyone who helped make this month a meaningful one for our students! ❤️🤍
🎓 APPLY TO COLLEGE FOR FREE - BUT HURRY!!
More than 70,000 North Carolina students are eligible for direct admission to college through NC College Connect — and this week only, you can apply for free! This program makes it easier than ever to take the next step toward your future by removing application fees and simplifying the process. It’s a great chance to explore your options and get a head start on your college journey.
Don’t wait — the free application period ends at 5:00 p.m. this Sunday! Visit NCCollegeConnect.org to check your eligibility, explore participating colleges, and submit your applications before the deadline. Take advantage of this limited-time opportunity and make your college dreams a reality! 🙌🎓
⛳ PUTT FOR A PURPOSE WITH PEP!
Grab your friends and family and head to Pirates Turf Mini Golf for a fun-filled fundraiser supporting the Pender Education Partnership (PEP)! 🏌️♀️💙 Every swing, smile, and hole-in-one helps support students and educators across Pender County Schools, making this event a great way to give back while having a great time.
All proceeds from the event go directly to PEP, funding student scholarships, classroom grants, and innovative educational initiatives that make a lasting difference in our schools. Come out, enjoy some friendly competition, and help make this fundraiser a hole-in-one for education! 🏆📚
💖 FOURTH GRADE RAMS CELEBRATE LEARNING WITH HEART
Our fourth-grade Rams recently wrapped up Wit and Wisdom Module One with a special celebration of learning centered on the theme of having a great heart—being kind, healthy, and a positive influence on others. Students showcased their growth through thoughtful writing, hands-on art, and science projects that connected figurative and literal meanings in creative ways.
From colorful paintings of figurative hearts to detailed models of the real human heart, students blended reading, writing, art, and science to bring their learning to life. Their hard work and enthusiasm made this cross-curricular project a true celebration of both knowledge and compassion. 💕
➡️ Read more about this inspiring project and see photos of their work HERE.
FORMER TITAN WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
We are thrilled to celebrate an incredible accomplishment by one of our own! Desmond Jordan, a proud Cape Fear Middle parent and Heide Trask alum, recently earned gold in powerlifting while competing with Team USA in South Africa. Desmond dominated the competition, taking first place in the squat, bench press, and deadlift categories — and was named Best Lifter overall. Team USA also secured the top team spot.
Beyond his athletic success, Desmond is a valued community leader who volunteers regularly with Communities In Schools after-school programs across several Pender County schools. His dedication to youth and his example of perseverance make this victory even more meaningful for our district.
FLU SHOTS BEGIN TUESDAY
Pender County Schools is partnering once again with the Pender County Health Department to provide flu shots for students this fall. This initiative will be available to all students across the district, with vaccines administered by health department nurses. To participate, students must be eligible to receive the flu vaccine and have written parental consent. For children without insurance, state-supplied vaccine will be available at no cost.
Consent forms will be sent home with students. Families also have the option to complete the online forms using the links below:
- Staff Consent Form
- Student Consent Form (English)
- Formulario de Consentimiento del Estudiante (Español)
For more information, please contact your child’s school or the Pender County Health Department.
🍎SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS🍕
You can find school lunch menus for each grade level by following THIS LINK
WEEKLY SCHEDULES
THS TENNIS PLAYERS ADVANCE TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Congratulations to Topsail High School seniors Cayden Persichetti and Reed Garofano, who have advanced to the NCHSAA State Championship Playoffs in tennis! Representing the 7A East Region as the #2 seed in doubles, Cayden and Reed have demonstrated incredible skill, teamwork, and perseverance throughout the season. Their outstanding performance has earned them a place among the top eight teams across the East, Mideast, West, and Midwest regions.
The first two rounds of the State Championship will take place Friday, October 24, at the Millbrook Tennis Center in Raleigh, with the championship match scheduled for Saturday. We are so proud of Cayden and Reed for representing Topsail High School with excellence—both on and off the court—and we wish them the very best as they compete for the state title this weekend. Go Pirates! 🎾🏴☠️
THS GOLFERS HEADED TO STATES!
Big congratulations to McKenna Roberson and Reese Brinckman from Topsail High School for qualifying for the 2025 NCHSAA Women’s Golf 7A State Championship! The tournament will be held Monday, October 27, at Sapona Golf, Swim & Tennis Club in Lexington, NC. Both golfers earned their spots as individuals after great rounds in Regional Play—Reese shot an 89, and McKenna followed with a 93.
McKenna will tee off at 9:40 a.m., and Reese will follow at 9:50 a.m. on Monday morning. We’re so proud of these two for their hard work, steady play, and positive attitude all season long. Good luck at States! ⛳🏴☠️
V🏐LLEYBALL PLAYOFFS RECAP
It’s playoff time for our volleyball teams, and they’re making us proud on the court! In the 7A division, the Topsail Lady Pirates entered the 2025 NCHSAA Volleyball Championships as the #4 seed and earned a first-round bye. They went on to sweep Wake Forest 3–0 but fell to five-seed Chapel Hill 3-1 Thursday night at home. The Pirates finished the season with an 18-7 overall record.
In the 3A division, the Heide Trask Titans also had a first-round bye as the #6 seed and moved past North Moore 3–1 to advance to Round Three, where lost 3-0 on the road at three-seed Midway. The Titans closed out the season with a 15-8 overall record. Meanwhile, Pender High fought hard but came up short in the first round against West Bladen, falling 3–1. Congratulations to all our student-athletes on strong seasons and continued success! 🏐💙
C🏀NGRATS!
PCS SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Congratulations to our fall award winners of the PCS Sportsmanship Award. This season we recognize Penderlea for outstanding sportsmanship in softball, Cape Fear Middle for outstanding sportsmanship in football, and Topsail Middle for outstanding sportsmanship for fall cheerleading.
From Malpass Corner Elementary - 🌟 Hands-On Learning at PACES After-School! 🌟 Our Malpass Corner PACES students had an electrifying experience on October 20th during a special 4-H Electric Workshop 🔌💡. Guests from Pender Early College and Pender 4-H🍀 guided students as they built their very own lamps — which they’ll proudly demonstrate during our Lights On Project on October 23rd! A huge thank you to Traci Spencer and Jacob Farrow for generously donating the electrical kits that made this bright learning opportunity possible! ✨
From Cape Fear Elementary - Mrs. Johnson’s class is finishing up their pumpkin study this week and today they completed a a science investigation. We respected whether pumpkins and other items would sink or float. Once we had results we recorded what our observation
From North Topsail Elementary - We are thankful for the Pender County Fire Marshal's Office! We appreciated Deputy Fire Marshal Townsend Link, Fire Marshal Amy Burton and other fire department staff for visiting NTE on Tuesday and teaching our youngest dolphins about fire safety! They loved seeing the fire truck and demonstrating how to safely exit the fire safety house!
From West Pender Middle - 🕺💃 Our students are stepping to the beat! Students in Ms. Rabel's dance class had a blast line dancing together! Such a fun way to mix movement, and music! 🎶
AND...Students in Mrs. Happy's advisory refreshed their test-taking skills — and enjoyed a little fall treat to celebrate the end of the first quarter! 🍁🍬 It’s all about balance: preparation and positivity 💪📚
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - 1st grade went on a walking field trip to the library as a culminating activity to go with our Wit & Wisdom Module 1 A World of Books, where they learned about how books change lives and how people around the world get access to books through libraries like ours, boats, donkeys, camel, and even elephants!
AND...Kindergarteners went to Mike’s Farm, setting the stage for their next Wit & Wisdom module, once Upon a Farm. From feeding goats, to a hayride, enjoying apple cider and a hayride, it was a great day of learning and fun.
From South Topsail Elementary - Trunk or Treat was a HUGE success last night! Thank you to all the families who came out for candy, friends, games and books! 👻 🎃 🍬 🕷️
AND...STEM is a little more fun in Media when our activities are based on spooky Halloween read alouds! 👻 🎃 🖍️
From Pender Early College - PECHS Fall volunteer fair yesterday. Thank you to all our participating organizations.
AND...Making soap in chemistry class today! #PECHSClasses 🧑🔬🧪=🧼
From Surf City Elementary - Mrs. Clark’s second grade class is tossing beach ball globes and identifying climate zones. Using the climate zone map students recorded the climate of the country where their right thumb landed. 🌎🌡️📊
AND...This week is Bullying Prevention Awareness Week and we are wearing orange to show our support. Today’s tip is to always be kind and helpful, just like these boys, this helps make our school a safer and friendlier place. Remember that everyone can do something to stop bullying! 🧡
From Topsail Middle - What an incredible experience for Mrs. Schlegel's child development groups! 🎉 They just completed their Kindergarten Readiness lesson with a visit to TAES, where they put their newfound skills to the test in real kindergarten classrooms!
AND...What an unforgettable night at THS Friday Night! Our 8th graders showcased their talent at the home football game, making it a truly special evening.
From Pender High - NC free College Application week has been amazing! Students have been participating in Spirit days, the college fair, completing applications, and winning prizes! If your student still has questions about applications this week, please reach out to our Next Step Advisor, Ms. LaTavia Davis.
From C.F. Pope Elementary - 🐎✨ Our 2nd graders kicked off Module 2 of Arts and Letters: The American West with an exciting virtual visit from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West! Students explored artifacts, stories, and history that brought the spirit of the American West to life. 🤠📚 We love seeing our Panthers engaged, curious, and ready to dive into new learning adventures! 💙
🔥 Pender County Schools is committed to engaging students in exciting experiential learning activities that will prepare them for their futures. These experiences are designed to equip our students with the skills needed for enrollment, enlistment, or employment upon graduation. We're proud to offer incredible opportunities in Career and Technical Education! 🛠️👩🔬👨🎓 Click HERE for the latest from CTE Director Dominique Bates #CTEforNC #ExperienceTheExcellence
PENDER-TOPSAIL POST & VOICE - Front Page
WECT - Pender County powerlifter returns home a world champion
STAR NEWS - As a bus driver shortage lingers, Pender County Schools turns to incentives, higher pay
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