π We hope your spring break was full of fun, relaxation, and maybe a little adventure! ποΈ Now that weβre back in action, itβs been a week full of excitement and energy as we dive fully into the second half of the school year. From a fantastic Kindergarten Registration event that welcomed new faces to a productive Board of Education meeting, weβre already off to a great start! πΆπ
And thatβs not all! Weβve got a career fair coming up, and weβre looking forward to connecting students with incredible opportunities! πΌβ¨ Keep reading to catch all the latest updates and exciting happenings at PCS! ONLY SIX DAYS UNTIL SPRING! πΈ
π A SUCCESSFUL START FOR OUR FUTURE STUDENTS! π
We are thrilled to share that the Kindergarten Registration & Preschool Information Event was a huge success! With 109 families completing their kindergarten registration on-site, the evening was filled with excitement, learning, and community connection. Families had the opportunity to meet our dedicated PCS staff, engage with community partners, and enjoy fun activities designed to make the transition to school a positive experience.
A big thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this event so special! If you couldnβt join us, online registration is still openβclick HERE to get started. We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2038 to Pender County Schools! πβ¨
PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS TO HOST CAREER FAIR
Looking for a fulfilling career in education? Pender County Schools is excited to host a Career Fair on Thursday, March 27, 2025, from 4:30 β 7:00 PM at Heide Trask High School!
πΉ What to Expect:
β Meet representatives from all 19 PCS schools
β Learn about available positions & career opportunities
β Engage in meaningful conversations with school leaders
β On-the-spot interviews for qualified candidates
β Guidance from our Human Resources team
π New This Year: Concessions will be available for purchase, provided by the Heide Trask High School Booster Club!
π RSVP Today!
π Come prepared with copies of your resume for potential interviews!
For more information, visit our website or contact our Human Resources Department at (910) 259-2187.
BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES 2026-2027 TRADITIONAL SCHOOL CALENDAR
During its March 11, 2025 meeting, the Pender County Board of Education unanimously approved the 2026-2027 traditional school calendar.
π Key Dates:
β First Day of School: August 10, 2026
β First Semester Ends: December 18, 2026
β Winter Break: Begins December 21, 2026
β Second Semester Begins: January 6, 2027
β Spring Break: March 29 β April 2, 2027
β Last Day of School: May 21, 2027
Families are encouraged to review the calendar and plan ahead for the school year. The full calendar is available on the Pender County Schools website
PENDER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP 10TH ANNIVERSARY GALA!
Celebrate a decade of supporting education in Pender County at the PEP 10th Anniversary Gala on May 17, 2025, at the Historical Society of Topsail Island. Enjoy an evening of dinner, dancing, and a silent auction, with wine and beer available at a cash bar.
π Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
π Location: 720 Channel Blvd, Topsail Beach, NC
β° Time: 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
π Tickets: $100 in advance | $125 at the door
All proceeds support students and teachers in Pender County Schools. Secure your ticket today and be part of this special celebration! For more information or to purchase tickets, click HERE
π SHOUTOUT TO OUR PCS TEACHERS OF PROMISE! π
The BT Team, in partnership with school-level administration, is excited to announce our PCS Teachers of Promise! π These exceptional Beginning Teachers have been recognized for their outstanding dedication and excellence in the classroom.
Out of these 16 finalists, one will be named the PCS Beginning Teacher of the Year at the May Awards Banquet π, and will move on to represent us in the NC State BT of the Year competition next school year! π±
Grace O'Carroll, Cape Fear Elementary
Anne Van Slyke, Cape Fear Middle
Natalie Tidler, Rocky Point Elementary
Allyson Smith, Heide Trask High
Jackson Nethercutt, CF Pope Elementary
Sophia Foster, Burgaw Middle
Bailey Barnhill, Pender High
Madison Snyder, Malpass Corner Elementary
Bennett Sapp, Penderlea K-8
Susannah Schock, Topsail Annandale Elementary
Mallory George, South Topsail Elementary
Brittany Hoffman, North Topsail Elementary
Hailey Meyer, Topsail Middle
Ana Brugh, Topsail High
Cristiana Pierce, Surf City Elementary
Hannah Scheurer, Surf City Middle
Danielle Milliner, Surf City Elementary, Deferred from 23-24
Congratulations to all the nominees! Your hard work and passion for teaching are truly inspiring! ππ
UNIFIED TITANS ROCK THE SO GOOD PROGRAM! ππͺ
ππͺ The Heide Trask High School Unified Titans are bringing energy and teamwork to the SO Good program! This 8-week Special Olympics health and wellness initiative unites students with and without intellectual disabilities for engaging, inclusive workouts. Each week, the Titans join live Zoom training sessions with schools from across the state, pushing themselves to stay active and build strong connections. ππ
This week, their enthusiasm, effort, and teamwork earned them the title of MVPsβand a well-deserved ππ pizza party to celebrate! Keep up the amazing work, Titans! ππ₯
πΆ PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS MUSIC DEPARTMENTS SHINE! πΆ
This week, students from SCMS, BMS, and HTHS took to the stage for a Pre-MPA concert π€π», performing for judges to receive valuable feedback before the official Music Performance Adjudication (MPA) at Ashley High School this week! π This event gave our talented student musicians the chance to refine their performances with constructive comments ahead of Thursday and Fridayβs MPA events.
π΅ Best of luck to all our PCS schools participating this week, including THS and TMS, who will also be showcasing their musical talents at MPA! πΆπ
WEEKLY SCHEDULES
π CELEBRATING SPORTSMANSHIP IN PCS ATHLETICS π
Sportsmanship is the foundation of education-based athletics, and PCS middle and high schools continue to emphasize its importance in all programs and contests. π
A big congratulations to our Basketball and Cheer Sportsmanship Award winners! π The boys' and girls' basketball teams from Surf City Middle π and the cheer squads from West Pender and Cape Fear Middle π received well-deserved recognition this season. Teams are nominated by their peers based on the following criteria:
Coaches, athletic directors, and administrators create a welcoming environment for all.
Coaches serve as role models, showing respect for players, opponents, and officials.
Players compete with integrity, perseverance, and fair play.
Parents show respect for everyone involved in the game.
Teams must be ejection-free for the season to qualify.
π Kudos to these outstanding teams for exemplifying the true spirit of sportsmanship!
ATTENTION PLEASE
From Surf City Middle - Surf City Middle is proud to recognize three talented 8th graders for their dedication to the arts!
β¨ Kevin Dale excels in both Advanced Art and athletics, playing football and basketball while also serving in the National Junior Honor Society. Inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat, he loves exploring new art techniques.
β¨ Evelyn Suh has taken Art all three years, earning recognition in contests like the Azalea Festival and Spring Fest. Her artwork is displayed at WonderWorks in Myrtle Beach, and sheβs also a dedicated clarinetist.
β¨ Rayna Maglione created new artwork for the band room, plays trombone in 8th-grade band, and placed 3rd in the Azalea Festival Poetry Contest. These students showcase the incredible talent in SCMSβs arts programs! ππΆ
From Rocky Point Elementary - We've got a bunch of students and Staff "Wild About Reading" today! When you get home, take a minute to read a book with your student for "Read Across America" Week!
From Cape Fear Elementary - Ms. Colemanβs class practiced math concepts of addition, subtraction, greater than and less than using their βBuilding Studyβ materials and props!
From C.F. Pope Elementary - ππ Third Grade Math Fun with Ms. Jones! ππIn Ms. Jonesβ third-grade math class, students kicked off their lessons by warming up those math brains! π‘ They worked in groups to match the time on the analog clock to an event happening in a picture. β°β¨Then, they got creative with post-it notes, writing what the time would look like on a digital clock β donβt forget whether itβs AM or PM! π π’ The best part? They had a blast moving around and collaborating with their peers! ππ©βπ«
From South Topsail Elementary - Kindergarten and 1st grade Stingrays had the pleasure of hearing professional storyteller Donna Washington perform this morning πβ€οΈ
From Malpass Corner Elementary - What an awesome way to kick off Music In Our Schools Month, than to have Africa Unplugged to come to MCE and perform for us! The theme this year for MIOSM is "United Through Music". As we celebrate the month of March, all over America through music, we are reminded how important and awesome music is to everyone, no matter the age or genre. Let's remember, music can bring us together in so many ways, despite our differences.
From Penderlea School - π Congratulations, Cody & Emily! π We are so proud of Cody and Emily for winning 1st place in Air Trajectory at this weekendβs Middle School Science Olympiad competition! οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½π Their hard work, dedication, and teamwork paid off in a big way! Way to represent Penderlea with excellence!
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - Members of the 4th Grade Robotics Team reached out to the Undersea Vehicle Program at UNCW last month. The faculty at UNCW Center for Marine Science answered their email and invited them to their campus! Our students were able to visit the Undersea Vehicle Program and talk with several faculty members. These students have been designing technology to be used in oceanic research as part of their Innovation Projects with the FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition. Getting to learn about current oceanic research and technology while talking with experts in the field was a very enriching educational experience for our team!
From West Pender Middle - Ms. Long and Mrs. Garza at Target ποΈ, where the Assistance League of Greater Wilmington provided 30 of our students with $110.00 worth of new clothing! A big shoutout to Ms. Long for orchestrating this event!
AND...Mrs. Happy's art students displayed their floral watercolor paintings at the Tidewater Camelia Club's Annual Show on February 22nd π¨ποΈπΈ
AND...The West Pender Beta Club went to Malpass Corner and read to a lot of different classes for Read Across America Week!
From Topsail Middle - Congratulations to our incredible TMS Science Olympiad team for placing 5th overall and advancing to states in Raleigh next month! π₯³ For the third year in a row, theyβve proven their hard work pays off! π They also earned amazing placements:
π₯ 2nd - Reach for the Stars
π₯ 3rd - Fossils, Code Busters
π 4th - Meteorology, Wind Power
6th - Entomology, Crime Busters
7th - Air Trajectory
From Pender Early College - PECHS took home 8 medals at Science Olympiad today! Cheers to our future scientists #π₯Όπ¬
AND...PECHS First National Honors Society Induction Ceremony. Congrats to all of our inductees
From Burgaw Middle - Burgaw Middle School students worked hard and represented their school at the Science Olympiad Competition at UNCW during Spring Break. We are proud of their hard work and efforts. Way to go, Red Devils!
AND...Check out the beginning stages of the BMS PEP Grant Garden! π©π½βπΎ
From Pender High - π A big congratulations to David Jackson from Pender High School, who was recognized as the Pender County Schools CTE Teacher of the Year at this weekβs Board of Education meeting! Your commitment to shaping the future through Career and Technical Education is truly appreciated. Thank you for your dedication to our students! ππ
AND...senior Aeva Patenaude and sophomore Mathue Patenaude spent part of their Spring Break working at local church food bank
From Surf City Elementary - Check out Mrs. Withers' PreK class! They made Cat in the Hat hats to celebrate Read Across America week.
π Pender County Schools is seeking dedicated educators to join our team! βοΈ Be part of our mission to inspire and educate young minds. Retirees (meeting NC Return to Work laws) are also welcome to join us! #ExperienceTheExcellence π APPLY HERE
πJoin the team at Pender County Schools as a valued school bus driver! π Experience the pride of safely transporting students to and from school while playing a vital role in their educational journey. π With competitive pay and the opportunity to make a positive impact on young lives, driving with us is more than just a jobβit's a rewarding experience! - APPLY HERE
Topsail High School Band is hosting our 6th Annual Mattress Fundraiser on Saturday, March 22nd, from 10am - 4pm. Please forward this coupon flyer to family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of. We need your help to find just one person who is already planning on buying a mattress and get them to come to the event. Watch this video to see how it works. Many faculty and community members have purchased mattresses from us in the past. More information can be found here: FB EVENT LINK
π₯ 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! π οΈπ©βπ¬π¨βπ Click HERE for the latest from CTE Director Dominique Bates #CTEforNC #ExperienceTheExcellence
PENDER-TOPSAIL POST & VOICE - Front Page
WECT - Pender County Schools to hold career fair for jobs in the district
WECT - Pender Co. Schools approves 2026-2027 traditional school calendar
WWAY - Pender County Schools to start 2026-27 year on August 10
Credits:
Created with images by STOATPHOTO - "Whats New. Communication, business and knowledge concept. Wooden table" β’ chaln - "Close up a date 30 with red circles on a calendar (end of the month). selective focus" β’ Thomas - "Green metal lockers along a nondescript hallway in a typical US High School. No identifiable information included and nobody in the hall. " β’ Maximusdn - "Christmas wallpaper decorations concept" β’ tab62 - "Various sports equipment on white rustic wooden background" β’ charles taylor - "random post it stickers" β’ photocrew - "Nachrichten" β’ NaMong Productions - "hand holding smart phone with application icons interface and globe networking system. concept technology social network communication."