💛💙 THAT'S A WRAP!
(For most - we see you Penderlea 🙂)
As we close the final newsletter of the 2025–26 school year, our hearts are full of pride and gratitude for all that our students, staff, families, and community have accomplished together. Across Pender County Schools, this year has been filled with moments worth celebrating - from classroom achievements and arts showcases to award ceremonies, senior celebrations, student performances, athletic success, CTE competitions, and acts of service that remind us what makes PCS so special. 💙✨ We have seen students shine in so many ways: seniors preparing for bright futures 🎓, PECHS students celebrating awards and new opportunities, Topsail High students earning state-level recognition, Heide Trask students bringing learning and inclusion to life through events like the Adaptive Science Fair and Theatre for All, Pender High celebrating Senior Week and Decision Day, Surf City Middle students showing creativity and teamwork through competitions and special learning events, and students from across the district representing PCS through Honor Band, athletics, academics, and the arts. Each story is a reminder that excellence is happening in every corner of our district. 🌟📚🎭🏆 As graduations continue next week, we look forward to honoring the Class of 2026 and celebrating all they have achieved. To our students, staff, and families: thank you for a year of hard work, resilience, joy, and community. We hope everyone enjoys a restful, safe, and well-deserved summer break. Stay safe, make memories, and we’ll see you soon! ☀️💙🎉
CLASS OF 2026 🎓
👏🎉Pender Early College was the first of our four high schools to celebrate their graduates. Thank you to Cape Fear Community College and the Wilson Center for hosting the night and streaming their ceremony. The graduation schedule for Heide Trask, Pender, Pender Innovative Learning Academy, and Topsail High are just a scroll away! 🎓
2026 GRADUATION SCHEDULE
Pender County Public Schools is proud to honor our graduating seniors. Find all the details you need for commencement ceremonies, including dates, times, and locations for each high school.
FREE SUMMER MEALS RETURNING FOR 2026
Pender County Schools is once again partnering with the NC Department of Public Instruction and No Kid Hungry North Carolina to provide free summer meals to children and teens across the county. This vital program helps ensure students have access to nutritious meals even when school is out. Beginning Wednesday, June 3, 2026, and continuing weekly through August 12, 2026, families can pick up seven (7) days’ worth of breakfast and lunch at the following sites:
- South Topsail Elementary
- C.F. Pope Elementary
- Malpass Corner Elementary
- Rocky Point Elementary
- Atkinson Town Hall
- Maple Hill Presbyterian Church
Pickup times will be from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM every Wednesday. No application is required to receive meals; however, pre-registration is encouraged and is available online here: https://forms.gle/RUijeuPKJLp1HboW6 The form may also be filled out onsite at pickup. This program is part of a statewide effort to reduce food insecurity among children and ensure all students return to school ready to learn. About No Kid Hungry North Carolina No Kid Hungry North Carolina is an initiative of Share Our Strength in partnership with state leaders and is based at UNC-Chapel Hill. Since 2011, the program has worked to increase access to healthy meals for children across the state. Learn more at NoKidHungryNC.org.
Mrs. Dinkins has been named a Pillar of Practice: Difference Maker!
Please join us as we celebrate Topsail Middle Schools' Jennifer Dinkins as a PCS May Pillar of Practice: Difference Maker! Ms. Dinkins, we are truly so grateful for you and all the impact you have made this year with your students and your families. While also making a great difference in the journey of your BT and your colleagues. You are such a wonderful human with a heart of gold and the strength of a warrior! Thank you for shining your light and making such a positive difference. Congratulations!
Lucy Tracy’s Coastal Masterpiece Earns Superintendent’s Choice
Congratulations to Lucy Tracy, a 7th grader at Surf City Middle School, whose beautiful watercolor painting has been selected as this year’s Superintendent’s Choice Art! 🎨🌊 Inspired by a peaceful coastal sunset, Lucy’s artwork captures the beauty of the seaside with rolling ocean waves, graceful shorebirds, and colorful starfish brought to life through soft watercolor techniques and vibrant beach colors. Lucy’s attention to movement, light, and detail made her piece truly memorable and perfectly reflected the spirit of our coastal community. Her framed artwork will be proudly displayed at the Central Office for the next year. We are so proud of Lucy’s creativity, talent, and this wonderful achievement! 🌅⭐
c⚾ngratulati🏐ns!!
From Surf City Elementary - 🎉Check out our 5th graders as they walk the SCE hallways one last time. 🔗https://youtube.com/shorts/na5Rc8HQI-M 🎓Your school is proud of you and we are going to miss you next year. We know you're going to do great things as a shark at SCM. 🦈Remember to come back and say hi to your Sea Turtle family. 🐢
AND...Always a fun last week at school! 🎉 Mrs. D's room is enjoying pirate themed activities ⚓️🏴☠️ while Mrs. Allen’s 2nd graders are having a glowing good time with Glow Day ✨🕶️🎶
Rocky Point Elementary - If you've ever thought that students don't do any learning at the end of the year, think again! Ms. Stewart's class has been busy working on a "Goods & Service" project, as well as an animal research project. To reward their hard work and healthy attendance, these Rams got to enjoy root beer floats and cotton candy! Both of these treats are available to any class that earns enough "Rams" for demonstrating our Ram Behaviors and for any class that has a consistent rate of 95% student attendance. Great job, 2nd Grade!
AND...Our morning car duty staff stepped it up a notch for the last day of school!
From Burgaw Middle - Have a great summer, Red Devils!! You did it!! 🌞
From Topsail High - The sun is setting on the 2025-26 school year and summer is moments away! On behalf of our entire school family, thank you for allowing us the honor to teach your students! Our theme this year was "Find Your Fit!" Every day we challenged ourselves to create learning experiences that highlighted each student's talent. We set the goal to give every single student access to their greatest potential. Whether it was new student-initiated clubs, a "Say Good Morning" campaign, tailgates, last recess, or Choose Love, our student leaders were empowered to redesign how we do school. A special thanks goes to the Class of 2026 for rejuvenating school spirit and planting the seeds for a new chapter in the illustrious story of Topsail High School. This year truly put us on a transformational trajectory! Until we see each other again, continue to follow the Pirate Way and may summer days bring you endless joy! Go Pirates!
From North Topsail Elementary - We are so proud of Mrs. Sawyer for her dedication to innovation and excellence in education! We appreciate her efforts to seek out and secure grant funding that directly benefits our students and school community, and we are excited for her to share her magic with educators from across the state. Thank you for representing NTE and inspiring others through your creativity, passion, and leadership! 💙🐬
AND...Congratulations and Best Wishes Ms. Pam!
From C.F. Pope Elementary - Thank you Panther students and families for another amazing school year! We hope everyone enjoys their rest, relaxation, fun, and abundant memories made this summer! Be safe, read, and recharge, ready to come back for another year next year! We will see you in August! Good luck to our 5th graders as they head on to the Middle School for their next chapter as well!
From Penderlea School - 🎉 CONGRATULATIONS to our 1st, 3rd, and 6th graders for winning the attendance competition! Their hard work and commitment earned them a wonderful ice cream social 🍦☀️ A special thank you to Ms. Pullen for all you do to make attendance fun and exciting for our students! ❤️ Our 3rd graders had an amazing time enjoying the beautiful weather and delicious ice cream! 😃
From Cape Fear Elementary - Thank you to our students, staff, and families for an amazing year full of learning, laughter, memories, and growth. Wishing everyone a safe, fun, and relaxing summer break! See you next school year!
AND...Mrs. McCall and Mrs. Newton are so proud of their sweet first graders who are now officially middle schoolers! Time truly flies!
AND!!!Congratulations to our students with Perfect Attendance for the entire school year! Your dedication, commitment, and hard work showed up every single day. We are so proud of you for making school a priority and being here to learn, grow, and shine all year long!
From Surf City Middle - That's a wrap! Have a great summer, Sharks!
AND...We are celebrating our students’ hard work and success on their EOGs in a BIG way! Students reached their goal, which means it’s time for slime! Laughter, cheers, and plenty of slime made for an unforgettable celebration as our administrators got messy to honor the dedication and achievement of our students. We are so proud of everyone’s effort and teamwork this year! Go SHARKS!!
From South Topsail Elementary - South Topsail Elementary just earned the Heart of Gold Top 25 award for the AHA Kids Heart Challenge 🥇 💛 We are so proud of our students for showing big hearts and healthy habits. Thank you to all the families, friends, and staff members who have supported our commitment to heart health. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💗💗💗💗💗💗
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - 🎉 What a wonderful way to wrap up the school year! Today we celebrated our last day of school with our End-of-Year Assembly in the Nest, reflecting on all of the memories, accomplishments, and growth from this incredible year. 🦅💙 A special congratulations to our 4th graders as they move up to middle school at TMS! We are so proud of all they have accomplished and know they will continue to do amazing things in this next chapter. 🎓✨ Thank you to our students, staff, families, and community for another amazing year of learning and support. We hope everyone has a safe, fun, and relaxing summer! ☀️📚🌴
AND...🧹✨ The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Mr. Bob! ✨🧹 Today we are celebrating someone who makes an incredible impact on our school every single day — Mr. Bob! From keeping our school shining to always lending a helping hand, his dedication, kindness, and hard work do not go unnoticed. He is a true difference-maker for our students and staff alike. Life at TAES is definitely better when Bob is around! Thank you, Mr. Bob, for everything you do to make our school a wonderful place to learn, grow, and thrive. We appreciate you more than words can say! 💙
From Pender High - 🎉🎉Congratulations to our Val & Sal!
From Cape Fear Middle - 🐻 What a way to close out the school year! 🐻 Today at Cape Fear Middle School, we wrapped up the year with our annual Field Day, and it did NOT disappoint! Our Grizzlies hit the field for some friendly competition — tug-of-war, three-legged race, musical hoops, beach ball relay, and Houdini hoops had everyone laughing, cheering, and giving it their all! 🎉We topped it all off with ice pops 🍦, lunch, and one final trip to the concession stand — because every great day deserves a great ending! To our amazing students, families, and staff — it was a wonderful day to be a Grizzly. We are so proud of each and every one of you. 💙Wishing everyone a safe, restful, and wonderful summer break! ☀️ See you next year! 🙌
From Topsail Middle - Congratulations to our TMS 8th graders! 🎓 You made the climb up the hill to high school — we’re so proud of your hard work and growth. Wishing each of you every success as you begin this exciting next chapter.
AND...TMS wraps up the year with fun team days — 6th grade led outdoor activities on our last day of school! Sunshine, teamwork, and smiles all around.
Port City Daily - Pender County Schools offering free summer meals Port City Daily - Pender County Schools leader named regional superintendent of the year
WECT - Pender County schools superintendent named Regional Superintendent of the Year WECT - Pender County Schools offers free summer meals for kids and teens
WWAY - Pender County Schools launches 2026 Summer Meals Program for children
Pender-Topsail Post - Front Page
Credits:
Created with images by Vitalii Vodolazskyi - "Speech bubble with the phrase What is new.,Curiosity and communication." • mnirat - "Close-up photos of black graduates hats" • Uuganbayar - "What else word written under torn paper concept." • manit - "Hand of young business using smartphone, Social media concept."