❄️ CHILLY MORNINGS, WARM CONNECTIONS
The first real “see-your-breath” morning of the season greeted students and staff today — a sure sign that change is in the air across Pender County Schools! As the temperatures drop, our classrooms and communities continue to warm hearts with learning, leadership, and kindness. From awareness campaigns to acts of service, our schools are showing that care and connection are at the core of everything we do.
Next week, we’ll continue our Month of Awareness with Bullying Awareness Week—a districtwide reminder that every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and included. Thank you to our families, staff, and community partners for helping PCS build a culture where compassion and respect never go out of season. 🌟
FOCUSING ON BULLYING PREVENTION
Next week, Pender County Schools will recognize Bullying Awareness Week as part of our broader Month of Awareness. Across our schools, students and staff will take part in activities that promote kindness, inclusion, and respect for others—helping to create a learning environment where every student feels valued and safe.
Bullying prevention is everyone’s responsibility. By talking openly about empathy, digital citizenship, and the importance of standing up for one another, we can continue building a culture of care and connection across PCS. Families are encouraged to start conversations at home about how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
PCS BEGINNING TEACHERS “CELEBRATE AND ELEVATE” AT UNC CHARLOTTE CONFERENCE
Pender County Schools was well represented at the 15th Annual Teacher to Teacher Conference held at UNC Charlotte on October 10–11, 2025. As part of their recognition for being finalists in the PCS Beginning Teacher of the Year process, four outstanding second-year teachers (BT2s) attended the statewide event alongside PCS Beginning Teacher Coaches Lyndsay Paquette and Chase Parker-Morgan.
Attending the conference were Sophia Foster (Burgaw Middle, PCS Beginning Teacher of the Year), Natalie Tidler (Rocky Point Elementary), Jackson Nethercutt (C.F. Pope Elementary), and Hailey Meyer (Topsail Middle). The conference theme, “Celebrate and Elevate Education,” inspired participants through sessions focused on collaboration, innovation, and teacher wellness.
One of Pender County’s own, Natalie Tidler, was even selected to present her session, “Creating a Family, Not Just a Classroom,” which received high praise from fellow educators.
“We had a wonderful time learning, connecting, and celebrating our profession,” said Beginning Teacher Coach Lyndsay Paquette. “Our BTs represented PCS with pride, and we can’t wait to see how they bring new ideas and energy into their classrooms.”
PCS NAMES OCTOBER BEGINNING TEACHER OF THE MONTH – AVA DIBIASE
Pender County Schools is proud to recognize Ava DiBiase of Topsail High School as the October Beginning Teacher of the Month. A Topsail native, Ava brings energy, heart, and real-world experience to her classroom. Before joining PCS, she spent five years as a restaurant manager, where she discovered her passion for teaching and helping others grow.
A proud East Carolina University graduate (Go Pirates!), Ava now teaches in the same classroom she once learned in—a true full-circle moment. Her advice to other beginning teachers: “Be consistent in your expectations, believe in yourself and your talent, and lean on your support system—it makes all the difference.” When she’s not teaching, Ava enjoys baking, searching for shark teeth, and spending time with her black lab, Marlin.
PCS NAMES OCTOBER MENTOR OF THE MONTH – BRITNEY ROGERS
Congratulations to Britney Rogers of Cape Fear Elementary School, our October Mentor of the Month! With nearly 15 years in education—including 13 in kindergarten—Britney’s passion for early learning and mentorship shines through every day. She’s known for creating a classroom where students feel loved, supported, and inspired to learn, and she treasures being part of the tight-knit “Cub Family” at Cape Fear Elementary.
Britney believes the heart of mentorship lies in “building meaningful, trusting relationships” and leading with empathy and patience. Her advice to fellow mentors is to “be the mentor you had—or wish you had—when you were starting out.” Outside the classroom, Britney enjoys time with her husband, two baseball-loving sons, and their Goldendoodle, Hank. She’s also an avid traveler, live music fan, and long-time STRIDE coach who brings positivity and dedication to everything she does.
🌟 CELEBRATING OUR FIRST "CULTURE BUILDER OF THE MONTH"!
Pender County Schools is proud to recognize Michelle Curry of Surf City Elementary as the district’s first recipient of the Pillars of Practice “Culture Builder of the Month” Award. This new recognition—part of the PCS Beginning Teacher Support Program—honors educators who create welcoming, positive, and motivating classroom environments where students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.
Beyond her work in the classroom, Ms. Curry serves as a mentor and grade-level chair, modeling collaboration, leadership, and care for both students and colleagues. Her dedication reflects the very best of PCS. 💙
👉 Read more about Ms. Curry’s recognition and the Pillars of Practice program here: [link]
PCS ART EDUCATORS RECOGNIZED WITH STATE AWARDS
Pender County Schools is proud to celebrate two exceptional art educators whose passion and dedication were honored by the North Carolina Art Education Association (NCAEA) this fall.
Lily Buckley, art educator at Heide Trask High School, was named the 2024–2025 NCAEA Pre-Service Teacher of the Year. A first-year teacher, Ms. Buckley’s creativity and enthusiasm have already made a lasting impression on her students. She believes that art education is about helping young people discover their voices and gain confidence in their creativity. “An important part of impacting growing artists is to be their support structure,” Buckley shared. “What makes a good artist is someone who shines a light on the buried talents of the youth—and that light comes from the heart.”
Joining her in recognition, Caitlyn Bachman, visual art teacher at Topsail High School and PCS Lead Arts Teacher, received the NCAEA Secondary Art Educator of the Year Award. With 16 years of teaching experience, Ms. Bachman has built one of the district’s most dynamic visual arts programs—offering all levels of art instruction, three AP Art & Design courses, and leading Topsail’s National Art Honor Society chapter. She has also helped write North Carolina’s updated arts education standards through her service with the NCDPI Standards Writing and Resource Teams.
Both educators were recognized at the NCAEA Professional Development Conference on October 12 in Asheboro for their exceptional contributions to arts education at both the local and state levels. PCS congratulates Ms. Buckley and Ms. Bachman for inspiring creativity, connection, and confidence in students across our district.
FLU SHOTS OFFERED FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF
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
From our (SCM) reporter in the field...
What a season for our Sharks football team! The boys fought hard all season long, sealing the deal with a 26–8 victory over Topsail and finishing with an incredible 5-1 record!
Colby Roberts ignited the energy on the field with the first touchdown of the game. Brycin Hicks followed with a powerful 11-yard run straight into the end zone, showing the team’s relentless drive! Colby Roberts scored again, plowing through Topsails defense. Capping off the night, Quarterback Wes Norman connected with Maddox Coleman for a picture-perfect touchdown pass!
After the game, the team was presented with a shiny new championship trophy to add to the school’s collection and proudly held onto the coveted helmet trophy!
From the first whistle to the final play, the Sharks showed grit, determination, and heart! Every player played with heart and brought energy that carried the Sharks to the top!
Congrats, champs!
💙❤️ Celebrating Our 8th Grade Patriots ❤️💙
Tonight we honor our 8th grade football players and cheerleaders — a special group who has poured their heart into every practice, every game, and every cheer. Your dedication, spirit, and leadership have meant so much to our Patriot family. 🏈 📣
As you move on to high school and become Pender High Patriots, we hope you always know we have your back.
🏆 COUNTY CHAMPIONS! 🏆
🐻 Our incredible football team brought home the COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP! What an amazing season and a hard-fought victory! Congratulations to our players, coaches, and staff on this outstanding achievement. Your dedication, teamwork, and heart made this possible! We are so proud to be #GrizzlyNation! 💙🤍
🏀 ⚽ Shout out to Mr. Chung for leading our first Parent/Athlete Meeting of the new sports season! He set clear expectations for our student-athletes, represented WPMS with excellence, and welcomed a strong community turnout!
⏰ REMINDER: WINTER SPORTS TRYOUTS ⏰
From Penderlea School - Our Penderlea Junior Beta Club had an amazing time at the National Beta Regional Leadership Summit in Concord, NC! 💛🖤 This event brought together Betas from across the region to grow as leaders, collaborate, and showcase their talents.
We’re so proud to share that our students qualified for the National Beta Convention in Nashville, TN next summer in the following areas: Beta Blitz, Project Proposal, Collaboration Connection, and Being Better Betas! 🎉👏
From C.F. Pope Elementary - 🌟 Soaring into STEM! 🌟 Our awesome PE teacher, Ms. Croom, and several of our Panthers had a high-flying experience at the STEM Open House at iFLY Wilmington! 🪂✈️ Students got the chance to learn how science, technology, engineering, and math come together to make flight possible — and even experience it firsthand! 🚀💡A huge thank you to iFLY Wilmington for hosting such an exciting and educational event that brings STEM to life in the coolest way possible! 🙌
From Pender High - We would like to continue to recognize our NEW staff members! Please join us in welcoming them to Pender High and making them a part of the Patriot family!
From Rocky Point Elementary - To mark the end of an amazing Wit & Wisdom module, 4th grade celebrated with a Heart Party! The W&W module explored the differences between literal and figurative language, especially when it comes to speaking about the heart. We're so proud of all of the hard work our 4th grade teachers and students during this first 9 weeks!
From Topsail High - Temperatures may be cooling, but our AMAZING staff is heating up! Another month and another celebration of EXCELLENCE...The Pirate Way! Please join me in congratulating October's Pirates of the Month for going above and beyond to help each student "Find Their Fit!" Go Pirates!
From Topsail Middle - Weather Wizards in action! Mrs. Gonzales' 7th grade students crafted their very own weather tools and took them outside to observe real-time data. They even created their own weather reports and presented them to the class—some even dressed the part! 🎤✨ To top it off, they wrapped up their Earth's System Unit with fun classroom experiments exploring convection. Who knew you could watch convection happen in a jar?! 🧪💧 Mrs. Gonzales can’t wait to see her students’ creativity and curiosity bloom even more in the next unit!
From Surf City Elementary - Students had a fun twist to their math problem sets in Mrs. Collins' math class. Students worked on teams to complete questions. Teams that got the answer correct got to come up to the bag of money to see how much their team won.
AND...Mrs. Chandler's PreK class participated in an apple tasting activity. First, the students practiced identifying and naming different colored apples. Then they tasted the apples and practiced answering "yes/no" questions by stating whether or not they liked the apples. 🍏🍎
From Pender Early College High - The freshmen went on a field trip to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital today! They learned about the life cycle of the turtles, threats to the species, and ways we can all help protect them. They even got to "meet" a few patients and tell Snooki bye before she heads off to her new home in Minnesota!
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - We had a special visit from Smokey the Bear today. Congratulations to Lily, one of our 4th graders, who won the poster contest!
From West Pender Middle - 📚 Students visited the library for a Book Tasting! 🍽️ They sampled different genres and found some exciting new reads!
From North Topsail Elementary - Thank you to everyone that donated to the 4th grade collection drive for the Pender County Humane Society! Today we had visitors from the PCHS to talk to the students about the shelter and to pick up the many donations!
From Cape Fear Elementary - The 21st CCLC program enjoyed a successful initial visit with Pender County 4-H, where students took part in an “all-about-me” activity that strengthened their presentation, speaking, and peer-questioning skills. Pender County 4-H serves elementary students through hands-on learning across subjects such as STEM, health, and agriculture. 🍀
AND...Today third graders had the chance to make connections to the text they studied in class, The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, by seeing real diving equipment up close! 🤿
From Malpass Corner Elementary - 💪✨ Students in Mrs. Custer’s class are working hard and getting things done! These dedicated learners are focused, determined, and showing what it means to be an Eagle! 🦅📚
From Surf City Middle - 8th Grade-Congratulations to the 21 students in Mrs. Turner's 8A Business and Entrepreneurship class. These students are certified in EverFi Financial Literacy! We have had a total of 40 students certify! 19 Students in 8B Certified. Whoo hoo!
7th Graders have continued to research Engineering Careers and have completed their One-pagers this week on an engineer of their choice. Towards the end of the week, we began our unit in 10-Careers in Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security.
6th Graders have been continuing with Punctuation and Numbers. We have also reviewed Email Etiquette, which includes composing and sending emails.
From Burgaw Middle - Happy Boss's Day to our favorite Red Devil, Mr. Allen! We appreciate all that you do!
AND...The Rehearsal MVP Award celebrates Red Devils who make a difference in rehearsal every day. Congrats to this month's winners! 🎵🎉
🔥 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
WWAY - Pender County Superintendent explains incentives meant to combat bus driver shortage
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