🎄✨ PUTTING A BOW ON 2024 ✨🎉
As 2024 winds down, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible achievements, hard work, and togetherness that have defined this year. 💙📚 From record-breaking milestones to everyday moments of kindness and learning, our PCS family has so much to be proud of. 👏🌟
Now, as we step into a well-deserved winter break ❄️⛄ and look ahead to 2025, let’s carry this spirit of #OnePender pride with us into the new year. 🎆✨ Big things are on the horizon, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together! 🚀💼
Wishing you all a joyful holiday season filled with love, laughter, and plenty of rest. 🥰🎁 See you in 2025! 💛💙
'TIS THE SEASON🎓
Before we head out for winter break, a special shout-out to our mid-year graduates! 🎓🎉 Pender Early College grabbed the spotlight with their ceremony earlier this week, and we couldn't be more proud of their accomplishments. 🌟👏You can view the PECHS graduation HERE🎄
We'll hit the ground running ahead of the first day back with four ceremonies set for January 3, 2025: Topsail at 9am, Heide Trask at 11am, Pender High at 1pm, Pender Innovative Learning Academy at 3pm.
We’re excited to celebrate each of you and your hard work! 🎓🎆 Congratulations to the PECHS graduates, and we’ll see the rest of you in 2025 for more celebrations ahead! 💙🎉
🏆 PCS EARNS TOP HONORS IN CTE!🎓✨
Pender County Schools has earned top recognition from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for its exceptional success in Career and Technical Education (CTE) credential attainment during the 2023-2024 school year! 🦅💙
Ranked among the top ten districts in the state for both the total number of credentials earned and the highest credential attainment rate, PCS is leading the way in preparing students for workforce success. 🚀💼 This achievement highlights the district’s commitment to equipping students with the skills and certifications they need to thrive in their future careers. 🌟📜
Want to learn how PCS is making an impact on students and our community? Click to read more! 👏
FUTURE LEADERS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM💼
Pender County Schools is excited to announce the Pender County Future Leaders Internship Program—a paid summer opportunity designed to empower our local youth! 🏛️🤝 Through hands-on experiences in local government, students will gain valuable career skills, build leadership qualities, and work closely with mentors to make a real impact in our community. 🌟💡
Want to know how this program inspires civic pride and prepares students for future success? 🚀💼 Read more to discover how PCS is shaping tomorrow’s leaders today! 🦅🔗
🌟A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR PEP & PCS!🦅🎉
2024 has been an extraordinary year for the Pender Education Partnership (PEP) and Pender County Schools! Thanks to the incredible support of our community, PEP distributed a record-breaking $12,017.70 to benefit schools across the district—the largest annual amount in the organization’s history. 💰📚
This generosity also inspired an all-time high of 42 educator applications for funding, supporting initiatives that enhance student learning and provide much-needed classroom resources. ✏️📖
Superintendent Dr. Brad Breedlove summed it up perfectly: “The impact of PEP’s work cannot be overstated. Their dedication inspires us all and showcases the power of community collaboration.” 🤝🌟
Together, we’re making a difference for our students! 💙👏
SPEAKING OF PEP...
🔥We are thrilled to share that Burgaw Middle School was awarded a total of nearly $2,000 in mini-grants, thanks to the incredible support of Pender Education Partnership (PEP). These grants empower our teachers to enhance learning experiences and bring innovative ideas into their classrooms.
PEP's continued dedication to supporting Pender County Schools ensures that our teachers and students have access to additional resources and opportunities. This generosity fuels creativity and collaboration, enriching education for everyone in our district.
We are deeply grateful for PEP’s commitment to education and for investing in the future of our students. Together, we are building a stronger community!
To learn more about PEP and how you can support their efforts, visit PEP's website.
NCHSAA RELEASES REALIGNMENT FIRST DRAFT
The NCHSAA released the first draft of the Realignment Proposal. Pender and Heide Trask would be 3A schools in a 3A/4A/5A conference while Topsail would move to 7A staying in what is essentially the current Mideastern Conference. Schools can submit concerns, suggestions, etc. as of January 7. A second draft will be released in mid-January and if necessary appeals would be heard in late January or early February.
🏀TRYOUTS
WPMS Basketball tryouts are after Christmas break! Athletic documentation must be submitted through Big Teams Student Central in order to participate in tryouts. ENGLISH LINK | SPANISH LINK #OnePender
💻✨ STUDENTS ACROSS PENDER COUNTY SCHOOLS LIGHT UP HOUR OF CODE! 🌟🎮
💻Students from Topsail High, Penderlea School, Cape Fear Middle, and Burgaw Elementary joined millions worldwide for the Hour of Code. ⌨This hands-on experience during Computer Science Education Week sparked creativity, problem-solving, and essential tech skills. From designing games to exploring app development, our learners are stepping boldly into a tech-driven future!
👀 Curious about their coding adventures? Click HERE to read more!
WELCOME ABOARD
🎉 Welcome, Ms. Sherwood! - We’re excited to have Kellie Sherwood as our new guidance counselor at RPE! 💙✨ She runs daily small groups and one-on-one sessions to help students with anxiety, grief, social skills, impulse control, and emotional regulation. 🌈 On Fridays, she leads classroom guidance lessons using our county-wide social-emotional learning curriculum, Start with Hello. 💛👏 Ms. Sherwood is here to support every child academically, socially, emotionally, and mentally—she’s already making a big difference! 🦅💙
👶 Baby News! - A big congratulations to Susanne Ward, our district Spanish translator with an office right here at Rocky Point! 🍼💖 While Susanne isn’t new to RPE, her sweet baby boy Roman sure is! 💙 Born on November 13th, Roman has been keeping his mama busy during her maternity leave. We hope she’s soaking up all the snuggles and precious moments with her little one! 💕🎉
We’re so lucky to have both of these amazing women as part of our RPE family! 🦅💙
🐝 SPELLING SUCCESS: BMS's ANNELYSE PENNY HEADS TO REGIONALS! 🏆
Spellcheck...who needs it!? 🔡 Students at Burgaw Middle did just fine without the help, showing off their spelling skills during the annual Spelling Bee 🐝
🏆 First Place: Eighth-grader Annelyse Penny took the top spot after spelling "Flamboyant" and will proudly represent Burgaw Middle School at the Regional Spelling Bee in March 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC! 🏅
🥈 Second Place: Alanah Newkirk (8th grade), 🥉 Third Place: Cherieff Lamont (8th grade)
A huge thank you to The 1865 Society of Pender County for sponsoring this exciting event! 💙✨ The auditorium was filled with cheering students, dedicated staff, and supportive volunteers who came together to celebrate the Red Devils' achievements. 👏
Best of luck to Annelyse as she takes the stage in Charlotte! 🌟 Go, Red Devils! ❤️🎓
INSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Rocky Point Elementary music teacher, Ms. Laura Black, is making headlines! 🎤✨ She was recently interviewed by the Wilmington Star News 📰, and they even shared a video showcasing her music classroom! 🎥🎼
Ms. Black and her talented students have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming concert, and we couldn’t be more proud of the magic they’re creating. 🌟🎻🥁 From joyful melodies to toe-tapping beats, her dedication to inspiring a love for music shines through in every note! 🎵💛
Bravo, Ms. Black! 🦅💙 We can’t wait to see the concert and continue cheering you on! 👏🎉Click HERE to take a look and listen
From Pender Innovative Learning Academy - it's Grinch Spa Day! Not a bad way to clean up your hands ahead of baking cookies (soothing music included)!
From Rocky Point Elementary - This is just a small sample of the instruments that arrived, purchased through the Links to Learning grant from the Assistance League of Greater Wilmington! We received 5 hand drums, 5 resonator bell sets, 2 bass recorders, 8 tenor recorders, an alto recorder, a sopranino recorder, a stirring drum and lots of thumb rests for the tenor and alto recorders we already own. Thank you, ALGW! #OnePender
AND...Kindergarten invited parents into the classroom to join a Heggerty lesson and then decorate a cookie with their student!
From Surf City Middle - The Elf on the Shelf schooled the kids in some 4 Square this morning! **full disclosure- the elf is also the author of this post, so claims may be exaggerated**
AND...7th Grade Career Explorations Everfi Financial Literacy Certifications. We had 24 students for B Day certify. This financial literacy foundations course, sponsored by the MassMutual Foundation, teaches students how to effectively manage their finances, make sound decisions, and become financially responsible. Through a story-based narrative and interactive exercises, students learn to make real-life decisions about their personal finances, as well as how to achieve important goals around saving money, education and career planning, and budgeting.
From North Topsail Elementary - This holiday season, our amazing 5th grade team created beautiful cards and shell ornaments to send to Hardin Park Elementary in Boone, NC! Inspired by our own Mrs Bonello, whose childhood friend teaches there, we wanted to send some joy after Hurricane Helene brought so much hardship to the area. Many thanks to our PTA for helping to fund this project! #onepender
From Cape Fear Middle - Please join us in congratulating Ms. Sarah Thomas on her recent accomplishment. After a lot of hard work, she has become a National Board Certified Teacher. As a leader and dedicated teacher at CFMS, we are so lucky to call her a Grizzly. We celebrate you and your accomplishment Ms. Thomas!!!!!
AND...Great job last night by our bands and Mrs. Marshburn. You all did an awesome job. Thank you to all the families that came out to support our students.
From South Topsail Elementary - The Grinch was causing mayhem around South Topsail today 💚
From Malpass Corner Elementary - All kinds of sightings in the Eagle's Nest as we are counting down to the Winter Break. Most recently, 1st grade had several Grinch sightings but with the smiles on their faces - we'd say the Grinch really has a big heart!
From Cape Fear Elementary - Congratulations to the 5th grade cast of Elfis and the Frozen Princess! We are so, so proud of you all! BRAVO!!
AND...Welcome to Candy Cane Lane and our Candy Cane Crew.
From Pender High - Super proud of our Seniors! As they have been working hard to secure their future plans, we want to celebrate them with our Future Friday Feature! Each Friday we will share acceptances to colleges & accreditation programs that our seniors have earned. Hard work = SUCCESS! #Penderproud #Classof2025 Seniors - make sure you turn in your college acceptances and future plans to Ms. Hall so you can be a part of our celebration!
From Penderlea School - Merry Christmas from the Hornets! 🐝 🎄🎅❤️Special thanks to Ms. F & the art department, the Hornet cheerleaders 📣 and families, Hornet soccer teams ⚽️ and families, coaches, and everyone one else who came together to help our athletes & band participate in the annual Burgaw Christmas Parade!
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - 3rd Grade enjoyed a glow show during art after creating their Groovy Astronaut self portraits! Shown here is Mrs. Richardson's and Loher's class.
AND...November was Career Development Month - Children from Ms. Herring's 2nd grade class dressed as their favorite teachers and they also dressed as their future career! They have bright futures ahead!
From West Pender Middle - In 8th grade Math, Mr. Greenleaf uses the strategies of underlining the problem and circling key terms. Incorporating the ClearTouch encouraged students to demonstrate their thinking! #CapturetheLearning #WarriorPower #OnePender #WestsideRising
AND...What a day at Greenfield Lake Park! 🌳 Our 8th-grade field trip explored soils, water quality, habitats, composting, and decomposers—plus a fun nature scavenger hunt! 🐾🌿
From Burgaw Middle - 🎉 Today we celebrated our amazing 🚍 bus drivers with a BMS Holiday Lunch 🎄! Thank you for all you do. #onepender
AND...BMS has school spirit! It may have been cold outside, but we sure did bring the heat at this year's downtown Burgaw Holiday Parade. 🔥 #onepender
From Heide Trask High - Congrats to Sophie Williamson who was selected to serve on the Eastern Youth Activation Council , a group dedicated to furthering the mission of Special Olympics & Project UNIFY. Sophie, we know that you will represent Pender County & HTHS well! We are so proud of you!
From Topsail Middle - 🎭✨ What an incredible first semester of theatre at Topsail Middle School! From hilarious improv games to creating jaw-dropping special effects makeup, writing and performing our own plays, and diving into the exciting world of technical theatre, we’ve done it all! 🌟 Our students have worked hard, laughed a lot, and created some truly unforgettable moments. We’re so proud of everything they’ve accomplished, and we’re already looking forward to what’s next. If you’ve ever thought about giving theatre a try, we’d love to have you join the fun! 🎬💡🎶 #TMStheatre #MiddleSchoolTheatre
AND...Congratulations to our JV Battle of the books team. They competed against Surf City Middle School in 2 virtual battles. They won 4 out of the 5 battles which helped them gain the trophy for our JV battle of the books! We are so proud of you all! Way to go Pirates!
EC - Here are a few photos from our EC related service provider holiday get together hosted at UNCW today. The whole group on the stairs is all psychologists, speech therapists, OT's, PT, hospital/home bound teacher, and teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing. The photos of the school bus are psychs.
🌟 Pender County Schools is seeking dedicated educators to join our team! ✏️ 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 📚 APPLY HERE
🚍Join the team at Pender County Schools as a valued school bus driver! 🚌 Experience the pride of safely transporting students to and from school while playing a vital role in their educational journey. 🌟 With competitive pay and the opportunity to make a positive impact on young lives, driving with us is more than just a job—it's a rewarding experience! - APPLY HERE
PECHS students are invited to the Winter Dance sponsored by the PECHS PTA. It will be on Saturday January 25 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at the Burgaw Train Depo. Tickets are $15. Please see Ms Grable for tickets.
🔥 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
PORT CITY DAILY - PCS earns state recognition for career and technical education achievement
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