PCS NEWS April 25, 2025

We are so proud of their dedication, leadership, and impact on our PCS community! 💙 To learn more about why they were selected, check out their features in the April BT/Mentor Newsletter — Kelly on page 4, Rebecca on page 5, and Kourtnie on page 6!

PECHS STUDENT EARNS GOODNIGHT SCHOLARSHIP TO NC STATE

🎉 Big news from PECHS! 🎓🐺 Sinead Morrow has been awarded the prestigious Goodnight Scholarship to NC State — valued at $23,000 per year for up to four years! 🌟 Her hard work in academics, 4-H leadership, and community service helped her stand out among North Carolina’s top STEM students. 🧪💻

We are SO proud of Sinead and all she has accomplished! 👏💚 Read more about her incredible journey and how PECHS students are building bright futures.

🌊🦀 SENSORY SENSATION 2025: A DAY OF DISCOVERY, INCLUSION & FUN! 🚒🐄

Our 2025 "Sensory Sensation" event at Topsail High School was a huge success! 🎉 More than 100 families attended, joining over 30 community organizations for a day filled with sensory activities, interactive stations, and hands-on experiences. 🐣🚓

Students and families explored sea creatures, visited a sensory beach-themed yurt, climbed aboard a fire truck, checked out a police drone, and even met a baby cow! 🐮🌴 Food trucks, raffles, and creative sensory stations made it an unforgettable day celebrating inclusion, awareness, and community support. 💙🙌

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a joyful, welcoming experience for all!

STUDENTS SHINE AT DISTRICT ROBOTICS SHOWCASE 🤖

🤖✨ Heide Trask High School was buzzing with creativity as students from across Pender County Schools showed off their skills at the District Robotics Showcase! 🚀🏆 From designing and building to programming and problem-solving, our elementary and middle school students amazed everyone with their innovation and teamwork. 🔧🎯

Read More to catch all the highlights from this incredible event.

PLE 7TH GRADERS EXPLORE COLLEGE LIFE AT UNCW

🎓✨ Last week, 7th graders from Penderlea School got a glimpse of their future during an inspiring visit to UNCW! 🏫💡 They toured campus buildings, explored career paths, and learned what college life is all about. The trip sparked big dreams and encouraged students to start planning for success beyond high school. 🚀📚

Read more about how this early college exposure is making a lasting impact!

🎨✏️ THIRD GRADERS BLOSSOMING WITH CREATIVITY, CONFIDENCE & CURIOUSITY THIS SPRING 🌼📚

Spring is in full bloom in the Rocky Point Elementary third-grade classrooms! 🌸🧠 From exploring the lives of inspiring artists in Wit & Wisdom 🎨 to mastering multiplication in math ➗✖️, our students are thriving. They’re not only learning — they’re becoming artists, problem-solvers, and confident learners.

As we prepare for EOG assessments, their hard work and determination are shining brighter than ever. 🌟👏 Check out how our third graders are growing, creating, and getting ready to finish the year strong!

🍎🌟 CFE's MS. ROGERS HONORED FOR BUILDING KINDERGARTEN CONFIDENCE FROM DAY ONE 💛📚

Big cheers for Mrs. Rogers, a standout kindergarten teacher at Cape Fear Elementary! 🙌 Her classroom is a place where confidence blooms and young learners thrive. With her warmth, dedication, and unwavering positivity, she’s helping students believe in themselves from the very first day of school. 🐝❤️

WWAY recently featured Mrs. Rogers as their Teacher of the Month — and we couldn’t be prouder! 👏 Don’t miss the story highlighting the magic she brings to PCS classrooms every day

📝🎯 BURGAW MIDDLE 7TH GRADERS BEGIN PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS 📘🎓

This week, 7th graders at Burgaw Middle took a big step toward their futures! 🔍✨ They explored what 8th grade means as a transition year, learned about graduation requirements, and drafted course plans through 10th grade. 💡📚

Students talked about GPA, teacher recommendations, and why planning matters — even if it changes along the way. 💬✅ Every middle school will take part in this important activity by the end of April. Ask your student to share their plan and start the conversation about their path ahead!

🔬🎉 HTHS ADAPTIVE SCIENCE FAIR CELEBRATES STUDENT DISCOVERY, CREATIVITY & JOY 💡🏅

The Heide Trask High School Adaptive Science Fair was pure magic! ✨👩‍🔬🧪 Over 20 students showcased experiments like invisible ink, underwater volcanoes, and growing gummy bears — impressing classmates, teachers, and community judges alike! Their hard work, curiosity, and teamwork brought science to life in powerful and personal ways.

C🏐NGRATS!

A shoutout to 8th grade volleyball players at BMS who wrapped up their middle school playing days Way to go ladies!!!

From Pender High - Check out the new and improved PHS Journalism publication: A Glance at Pender High.

From Burgaw Middle - BMS is totally radical this week for our Special Olympics Spirit Week! ⚡

AND...Happy Administrative Professionals' Day!! 💐

AND...6th graders are in their final unit for the year in Miss Foster’s 6th grade ELA class! They are reading “Among the Hidden”. Today, they had a creative annotation worksheet in the form of a sundae! Toppings and a cherry were also integrated to connect with literary ideas!

From Rocky Point Elementary - We Need Your Help!! We are in urgent need of EOG Test Proctors! Proctors stay in the room while students are testing and assist the test administrator as needed. Tests run from 7:30am-11:30am on May 9th, 13th, and 15th, with make-up test administrations on other dates. You do not need to have a current RPE student enrolled at the school in order to proctor. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Mrs. Cramer (RPE assistant principal) at bethanie_cramer@pender.k12.nc.us or by calling the school at 910-675-2309.

AND...After a morning of fun field day activities, Ms. Tidler's second grade students completed a variety of STEM activities as part of "Peep Day!"

From Pender Innovative Learning Academy - The otters are super proud of Nurse Malisa!!! She was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International, the national nursing honors society this evening!!

AND...All of the otters...big and small... have joined in to celebrate Ms Jan on Administrative Professionals Day!! No one knows just HOW she is able to accomplish all that she does in a single day balancing the duties of being our Data manager and our Bookkeeper. We are just REALLY happy that she chooses to spend every day with us!!

From Surf City Elementary - Ms. Rickard's 5th grade classes completed a digestive system lab where they went through every step of the system with bread, water, and vinegar. By the end of the lab they had created "human waste". 🤢

From Heide Trask High - 🎉 Tomorrow’s the big day! Join us in cheering on our amazing Heide Trask High School Special Olympics athletes as they head off to compete! We are so proud of you all—go show that Titan pride! 💙⚡️ #TitanStrong #SpecialOlympics #HTHSPride

AND...🌟 Happy Administrative Professionals Day! 🌟

Today, we celebrate the amazing team that keeps Heide Trask High School running smoothly behind the scenes! Thank you to Ms. Simpson, Ms. Z, Ms. Adaliz, and Nurse Amy for your hard work, dedication, and the care you show our students and staff daily. Your support does not go unnoticed, and we are so grateful for everything you do to make HTHS a better place! #TitanStrong 💙

From North Topsail Elementary - 2nd grade classes had lots of fun presenting their mini musical to their families! #onepender

From Pender Early College - Congrats to PECHS Dayleen Maldonado Murillo who was The Cooperative Council of the Carolinas’ Leadership Camp winner for the 2025 FCEMC Youth Leadership Power Up . on Saturday April 12, high school juniors from across region gathered at Camp Kirkwood for this annual event.

From Topsail Middle - TMS students and staff were invited to present at the 2025 Regional Eggs and Issues breakfast at UNCW about the programs available to TMS students that are preparing them to be successful at the next level in their educational journey. Great Job Pirates!

From Cape Fear Middle - Thank you to Ms. Spivey, Ms. Julien, and Ms. Hayes. These ladies do so much to make the front office run smoothly. We appreciate everything you ladies do on a daily basis at CFMS from being the first smiling face that welcomes our families to data management to dealing with payroll and everything in between. Again, thank you for all you do (seen and unseen). #happyadministrativeprofessionalsday

AND...Thank you to all the parents/guardians that were able to come out this morning for Coffee with the Principal. Your insight is vital to the success of our students and school. #workingtogether

From West Pender Middle - We pulled off a surprise baby shower for Mrs. Bongiorno under the cover of a fake faculty meeting! It was a sweet celebration for Baby Bongiorno! #WarriorPower #OnePender #WestsideRising

From Topsail Annandale Elementary - These kindergarteners are on a mission to save the worms! To celebrate Earth Day, students got to adopt a pet worm that was rescued from being bait at Eastern Outfitters. They took them home to be released in their gardens.💙🪱🌍

AND...Congratulations to our robotics team who took 1st place at the robotics competition today! We are so proud of all of their hard work. Way to make our Ospreys shine!

From Penderlea School - In honor or Earth Day, Ms. Sapp’s 3rd graders learned about the importance of keeping our Earth cleaned and cared for. So, the students decided to pick up trash in the front of the school to help keep our community and school clean!

From Malpass Corner Elementary - After watching the caterpillars grow and then watching and waiting as they formed their chrysalis, Mrs. Boerigter's class was able to release three beautiful butterflies at recess on Thursday afternoon.

AND...Congratulations MCES Robotics Teams! Our team 2 came in 3rd place! Thank you staff, students and families for supporting our robotics teams! Way to SOAR!

From South Topsail Elementary - After months of hard work, our South Topsail robotics team 🤖, the MechaRays, competed in the district competition at Heide Trask yesterday evening. They did so great 😄 and we are very proud of their teamwork and dedication 💪 ⚡️!

AND...Congratulations to Mrs Everett's class for graduating from D.A.R.E. with Deputy P!

From C.F. Pope Elementary - 🐣 Egg-citing News from 2nd Grade! 🐣 Our second graders had an unforgettable experience thanks to the 4-H Embryology project! Over the past few weeks, our students have been learning all about the life cycle of chickens—from tiny eggs to fluffy chicks! 🥚➡️🐥 Watching the eggs incubate, learning about the science of hatching, and finally seeing those first little beaks break through the shells... pure magic. ✨The room was filled with joy, curiosity, and so many “aww!” moments. This hands-on learning brought science to life in the best way possible. 💛 Way to go, little scientists—and thank you, 4-H, for this incredible experience! 💚

From Topsail High - Our annual International Night was a hit! It was a fun evening celebrating our friends and cultures from around the globe! Thank you to our student leaders and volunteers for making this a special night!

AND..It's a Terrific Tuesday to recognize an outstanding senior who exhibits the six qualities of a Topsail Pirate - Positive . Involved . Responsible . Attentive . Thoughtful . Empowered.

This week we are focusing on the Thoughtful trait. Thoughtful means to be considerate. The senior representing thoughtfulness displays kindness towards others, takes time to reflect on their learning, and practices mindfulness of their words and actions. The 24-25 Thoughtful Pirate is Krysha Veras Espinal. Krysha Veras Espinal’s thoughtfulness is obvious right away. As a leader in our Coast Guard JROTC program or working as an assistant in the library, she is constantly displaying consideration for others and making efforts to include her peers in meaningful activities. Krysha also takes time to reflect on her learning and practices mindful awareness in her actions and words, always ensuring she treats others with kindness and respect. Congratulations Krysha! We are so proud of you!

From Cape Fear Elementary - Big shoutout to our Robotics Team for representing us at the County Robotics Competition! A huge thank you to the Coaches that helped our Cubs for this event.

AND...Little Hands making a big difference! Ms. Terry's class worked today to help keep the Earth Clean.