MARCHING INTO APRIL! 🌷📢
Can you believe it? March is wrapping up, and that means we’re heading into the final full month of school! 🎓✨ With just a few months left in the school year, now’s the time to finish strong 💪📚 and soak in all the exciting opportunities ahead. Whether it’s special events, student achievements, or community celebrations, there’s plenty to look forward to this spring! ☀️🌸 Stay connected, stay involved, and let’s make the most of this season together! 💙
PCS CAREER FAIR A HIT WITH ATTENDEES
This week, Heide Trask High School hosted the Pender County Schools Career Fair, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the turnout! 🙌 Each year, this event continues to grow, connecting passionate educators and professionals with exciting opportunities in our district. With a strong turnout of prospective teachers, support staff, and specialists, it’s clear that interest in joining Team PCS is stronger than ever! 💙🍎
Several of our principals conducted on-site interviews and have already scheduled follow-ups for additional candidates. 📅✏️ We are excited about the potential new team members who could be joining our schools in the near future! Thank you to everyone who attended, and a special shoutout to our staff for making this event such a success. If you missed the fair but are interested in a career with PCS, visit our website to learn more about available positions! 🚀📚✨ #OnePender
🚌 PCS BUS DRIVERS PUT SKILLS TO THE TEST! 🚦🏆
Six of our incredible Pender County Schools bus drivers took on the challenge at the 2024-2025 School Bus Roadeo! 🏁🎉 Competing against top drivers from New Hanover County, they navigated tricky obstacles, showcased expert driving skills, and represented PCS with pride. 💪👏 Want to see how they did? Click HERE to read more and check out the final standings! 🚍✨ #DrivenToSucceed
🎤 PCS LEADER PRESENTS ON TEACHER SUPPORT AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE! 📚✨
Pender County Schools’ own Chase Parker-Morgan took the national stage at the NASUP Conference in New Orleans, sharing how PCS is making a difference in supporting and retaining new teachers! 🌎👨🏫 His presentation showcased the powerful work of our Beginning Teacher Coaching Team and the impact of their person-first approach in helping educators thrive.
Want to know how PCS is leading the way in teacher support? Click the HERE to read more! 📖👏
🚍 GOING THE EXTRA MILE! 🚍
When a Columbus County Schools bus broke down after an athletic event, our PCS Transportation Team jumped into action! One mechanic met the stranded bus while another arrived with our wrecker. After diagnosing the issue, PCS provided an activity bus to ensure students and staff got home safely, while we towed the bus to our facility for overnight storage. In school transportation, we support our neighbors—and this is what teamwork looks like! 💙💛#OnePender
CELEBRATING OUR FEBRUARY BEGINNING TEACHER, MENTOR, AND SITE COORDINATOR OF THE MONTH!
Congratulations to our February Beginning Teacher of the Month, Michaela Emmerich (Pender High School), Mentor of the Month, Alecia Sheiber (Topsail Middle School), and Site Coordinator of the Month, Shauna Pirozzolo (CF Pope Elementary)! 🎉 These outstanding educators are making a lasting impact on their students and colleagues through their dedication, support, and commitment to excellence. Click HERE to read their stories. #OnePender
OTTER-LY INCLUSIVE LEARNING SPACES GRANT SUPPORTS OUTDOOR LEARNING AT PILA 🌳📚
📢Exciting news - the "Otter-ly Inclusive Learning Spaces" grant has been fully funded through the Landfall Foundation! 🎉 This generous support will allow the Pender Innovative Learning Academy to create enhanced outdoor learning environments. These spaces will offer additional opportunities for academic engagement and allow for flexible, dynamic instruction.
As part of the ongoing efforts to improve the Alternative Learning Program, Ms. Braune and her staff recognized the need for more durable, high-quality furniture to support students, especially in situations where classrooms need to be relocated due to behavioral challenges. The new outdoor classroom space will not only accommodate academic lessons but also serve as a peaceful environment for small group mental health instruction and activities, fostering social and emotional growth. 🌱
This project will benefit PILA's students, staff, and families, especially during parent-engagement activities. Thanks to the durability of the new furniture, we expect this space to continue benefiting future students for many years to come. We are incredibly grateful to the Landfall Foundation for supporting our vision of a more inclusive, adaptable, and positive learning environment for our students. Thank you for helping us create spaces where students can thrive, learn, and grow! 💙
🌟 ROCKY POINT INTERVENTIONISTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE! 🏫✨
At Rocky Point Elementary, a dedicated team of Interventionists is transforming learning with hands-on activities that help students grow and thrive! From Speech & Occupational Therapy sessions that boost communication and confidence to math lessons that turn shapes and numbers into real-world connections (yes, even pizza slices! 🍕), these educators are making an incredible impact.
👏 Huge shoutout to our amazing team for their hard work and creativity! Want to see how they’re helping students shine? Click the HERE to read more! 📖
🚑 EXPLORING EMS CAREERS AT WEST PENDER! 🔥👩⚕️
West Pender Middle School students got a front-row seat to the world of emergency medical services thanks to a special visit from Cape Fear Community College's EMS program! 🏥🚨 Through hands-on activities and live demonstrations, students learned about life-saving skills and the exciting career paths within EMS.
This event, part of the Career & Technical Education (CTE) program, gave students a chance to interact with real EMTs and paramedics, sparking interest in healthcare and emergency response careers. Want to see more from this action-packed day? Click HERE!
SCMS CELEBRATES YOUTH ART MONTH & MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH! 🎶🎨
March is a time to celebrate creativity and expression at Surf City Middle School! 🎉 Throughout Youth Art Month and Music in Our Schools Month, SCMS has been highlighting talented students who shine in the arts. From exceptional young musicians to passionate visual artists and writers, these students are making a lasting impact in their school and beyond!
🎵 MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH SPOTLIGHTS 🎵
🌟 Tanner Soward (7th Grade, Euphonium) – A dedicated musician who has performed in band for two years, represented PCS in the All-County Band, and even excels in STEM and community service! 👨🚒🎵
🌟 Liam Boyle (7th Grade, Clarinet) – Two-year band member who loves swimming and golf when he's not making music! 🏊🏌️🎶
🎨 YOUTH ART MONTH SPOTLIGHTS 🎨
✨ Ruth Barry (8th Grade, Advanced Art) – A watercolor enthusiast and Apprentice Artist Award winner whose design was chosen for the 8th-grade band trip t-shirt! 🖌️🎨
✨ Julliana Bowen (8th Grade, Advanced Art) – A multi-talented student-athlete, National Junior Honor Society member, and future Topsail High Yearbook Staff member! 📚📸
✨ Lucy Tracy (6th Grade, Artist & Equestrian) – A dedicated artist with a passion for sketching and sculpting, who has also qualified for Regionals in horseback riding! 🏇🎨
✨ Ava Hill (8th Grade, Realism & Cartooning Artist) – An award-winning artist featured in the Azalea Festival Youth Art Showcase and a Superintendent’s Holiday Card Artist! 🌸🎨
SCMS Students Shine in 2025 Azalea Festival Youth Contests! 🌸🎨��
We are thrilled to recognize four outstanding students from SCMS for their remarkable achievements in the 2025 Azalea Festival Youth Contests! 🏆✨
🏅 Youth Writing Contest:
🥉 3rd Place: Rayna Maglione, "Azalea" – 8th Grade
🏅 Honorable Mention: Josie Nelson, "Azalea Festival" – 8th Grade
Their work was selected from an impressive 82 essay entries and 98 poetry submissions by middle school students across the state! 📚✨
🎨 Youth Art Contest:
🥉 3rd Place: Caiden Guy, "The Beach" – 7th Grade
🏅 Honorable Mention: Camille McEwan, "Little Ducky" – 7th Grade
Their artwork was chosen from an incredible 400 submissions from students across North Carolina!
🌸 Joining them in the 2025 Azalea Festival Youth Art and Writing Contests Showcase are:
🎨 Art Entries:
Julliana Bowen – "Beauty of Nature"
Ava Hill – "Springtime Horse"
Eva Mascio – "Cerulean Blue"
📝 Writing Entries:
Kevin Dale – "In the Springtime"
Finley Maxwell – "Azalea Memories"
WEEKLY SCHEDULES
BATTER UP!⚾
Introducing the 2024-25 BMS Baseball Team! Come on out and support your favorite Red Devils next week.
From Cape Fear Elementary - K-Kids painting the benches in the courtyard to help beautify the area! We love the collaborative effort of multiple groups / classes coming together to make a difference in this area of our school!
AND...Our K-Kids Club has partnered with Heide Trask’s Key Club to organize a pen pal program with a local assisted living community. Today students received their first letters back from their pen pals! 📝 Way to spread kindness in our community, K-Kids! 💙
From Topsail High - This year, the THS faculty started a new initiative to honor the quintessential characteristics of a Topsail Pirate by nominating students in the senior class who most exhibit each of the six qualities - Positive . Involved . Responsible . Attentive . Thoughtful . Empowered. This week, we are focusing on the Positive trait of a Topsail Pirate. The 24-25 Positive Pirate is Kiera McLean. Kiera McLean’s positivity radiates through every aspect of her life, from her consistent efforts to stay successful academically, to her active involvement in numerous clubs and leadership positions. Congratulations Kiera! We are so proud of you!
From C.F. Pope Elementary - Proud Panthers did amazing work the past 2 weeks!!
From South Topsail Elementary - Our very own Teresa Coston did it again! On Monday, she competed in the annual New Hanover and Pender County Bus Roadeo 🚌🤠and drove home the win for the second year in a row!! She placed 1st 🥇 for PCS and 2nd 🥈 overall out of 28 drivers!!
Mrs Coston is such a dedicated and loving bus driver and Kindergarten IA. South Topsail is honored to have her in the Stingray family ❤️
From Malpass Corner Elementary - Drum Roll, please!!!
From Penderlea School - 📚 Learning in Action at Penderlea! 🎉Yesterday kicked off Day 1 of our Spring Intersession, and our students were fully engaged in small-group learning and hands-on activities designed to strengthen their skills! 🙌 This additional academic support opportunity helps students grow in a fun and focused environment.
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - Today we announced our 2024 - 2025 Teacher of the Year. Congratulations to our 4 nominees Mrs. Schott, Mrs. Haraway, Coach Redd, and Mrs. Lee. We greatly appreciate all that you do to help our Osprey's SOAR. All of the nominations were well deserved.
AND...Our official teacher of the year for the 2024-2025 school year is Mrs. Lee! Mrs. Lee has done a tremendous job taking on a new role this year, as well as helping out in many aspects of our building above and beyond her call of duty. We are so thankful to have you at TAES. Congratulations!
From West Pender Middle - 📢 Announcing the 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year! 🎉We are thrilled to recognize Ms. Wilson as our WPMS Teacher of the Year!
AND...West Pender welcomed Africa Unplugged, a dynamic band that uses traditional instruments from West Africa to create contemporary sounds! They performed for our students in a fun and engaging assembly!
From Cape Fear Middle - Congrats to Sarah Thomas for being named the CFMS 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Thomas does so much for our students and community. She works tirelessly and advocates for our students. We could not have a better person to represent us than Mrs. Thomas. Please help us to congratulate her.
AND...8th grade Social Studies students are writing parody songs about the Civil War/ Reconstruction Era set to a modern day song of their choosing. Great job Grizzlies!!!
From Topsail Middle - 🎉 Huge shoutout to our Topsail Middle School Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Megan Vergenz! 🌟 As an 8th grade ELA teacher, her dedication to her students inspires us all. Join us in celebrating her hard work! #TeacherAppreciation #TMSProud
AND...🌟 What a fantastic day at the ROCAME Jamboree last Saturday! 🎉 Huge congrats to Sophia and Elena on their wins: 🥉 3rd place in Write it Do it & Quiz Bowl, and 4th in Egg Drop! 🥚✨ Pender County took home 1st overall! 🏆💪
From Pender Early College - Sheep eye dissection in Anatomy class today #🥼🐑👀
From North Topsail Elementary - We are thrilled to announce that Mrs. Casey Yasalonis has been selected as the NTE Teacher of the Year for 2025-2026! 🎉✨ Mrs. Yasalonis is one of our rock star kindergarten teachers and makes a huge impact on our little learners every day. Please join us in congratulating her on this well-deserved honor! #onepender
AND...🌟 Congratulations to our Instructional Assistant of the Year, Mrs. Ashton! 🎉 She is a vital part of our second grade team and also one of our wonderful bus drivers! 🚍 Her sunny personality and willingness to help everyone make a huge difference in our school community! #onepender
From Heide Trask High - TITANium 9296 at FIRST Robotics!
Our Heide Trask Robotics team had an amazing time competing in Greenville this weekend as part of the FIRST Robotics program! This is our second year participating, and we’re proud to see our students grow and improve each season. The competition continues next weekend at UNC-Pembroke, and we’re excited to keep pushing forward!
A special shoutout to our Lady Cadets for their beautiful performance of the National Anthem for the FIRST Program. Their dedication and talent truly set the tone for an incredible event! Stay tuned for more updates from Team TITANium 9296!
AND...🎉 Happy Birthday to Mr. Galindo! 🎉
Heide Trask High School wouldn’t be the same without his hard work, dedication, and the positive energy he brings every day. He keeps our school running smoothly and always does it with a smile. If you see him today, be sure to wish him a happy birthday and thank him for all he does! 🎂🎈🎊
From Burgaw Middle - Congratulations to our BMS Teacher of the Year, Ms. Gingrich! You are an incredible educator and an amazing Red Devil! @bms_reddevils @penderschools @bradbreedlove90 #onepender
AND...Students tending to the BMS Garden just in time for spring! 🌸
From Surf City Elementary - Congratulations to our 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Faircloth! We could not be more proud of her and all that she does for all of our students and our school each and every day! 🌟
AND...Try to find Mr. Rich sitting still, you will have a VERY hard time. He is constantly on the move looking for ways to make our school as clean as possible. Not only is our school more clean thanks to his efforts, but he also sets a great example of work ethic and taking care of the things we are trusted with.
From Pender Innovative Learning Academy - We are super proud to announce the PILA 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year, Ms. Laura Beveridge. She is a huge advocate for children and the PILA otters would be lost without her!!!
AND...There are TWO more otters that have met all the requirements for graduation!! Our graduation is going to be amazing!!
Preschool - Earlier this week, Mr. Darryl Ganey took a moment out of his maintenance work to show preschool children in Mrs. Withers' class at SCES his work equipment and answer questions from the eager children.
From Surf City Middle - We have BIG news to report from Surf City Middle. Congratulations to Mrs. May for being named the SCM Teacher of the Year for 2025!
🌟 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
MCE students are having a "Cash War" March 24-April 4. The goal is for grade levels to get as many pennies as possible, but beware....they can be sabotaged! The winning grade level will get an ice cream celebration. All proceeds will be placed in the PTO fund.
PECHS Plant Sale! March 31 - April 4 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the CFCC Burgaw Campus/PECHS. Here is a link to the plants that are for sale. https://bit.ly/3QS3dBF
rpe - Save the Date! Our 4th and 5th grade students will be presenting their Spring Concert on Thursday, April 10th at 4:30pm, right before our Duke Energy STEAM Night! All students are expected to be in attendance. Please contact Mrs. Black with any questions!
¡Guarda la fecha! ¡Nuestros estudiantes de 4to y 5to grado estarán presentando su Concierto de Primavera el jueves, 10 de abril a las 4:30pm, justo antes de nuestra Noche STEAM patrocinada por Duke Energy! Se espera que todos los estudiantes estén presentes.
🎉 Penderlea Day is Almost Here! 🎉
Mark your calendars for April 12th from 10 AM – 2 PM and join us for a day of fun, food, and community spirit—all while supporting our students! All proceeds from this event will go directly back to Penderlea School to benefit our students.
🌭 Delicious food – hot dogs, wings, snacks & more!
🎯 Games & a fun kids' zone
🎶 Live entertainment
🚜 Touch-a-Truck
🛍️ Vendors
🎨 Student Art Display – just announced!
🎸Guitar Lessons – don’t miss this exciting opportunity!
We need YOUR help to make this event a success! If you're interested in:
✅ Volunteering
✅ Being a vendor
✅ Performing on stage
📧 Contact us at pls_info@pender.k12.nc.us for more details.
Come out, bring your family, and have fun! We can’t wait to see you there!
📍 Penderlea School
11 Garden Rd, Willard, NC 28478
Interested in joining Color Guard? Check out the flyer for more information!
🌟 Exciting News! 🌟 Join us (C.F. Pope Elementary) for Duke Energy Science Night on April 16th from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at C.F. Pope Elementary School! 🧑🔬🔬 It’s going to be a night full of fun and discovery with hands-on experiments, interactive displays, and exciting science demos. This is a perfect event for students, families, and science lovers of all ages! 🌍✨ 🔹 Explore cool science exhibits 🔹 Fun activities for kids 🔹 Free event – bring the whole family! Mark your calendars and bring your curiosity! Let’s get ready to spark a love for science! 🔥🌟
rpe - Save the Date! Our Kindergarten and 1st grade students will be presenting their Spring Concert on Thursday, April 17th at 7:45am. All families are invited to attend! Please contact Mrs. Black with any questions.
¡Guarda la fecha! Nuestros estudiantes de Kinder y 1er grado estarán presentando su Concierto de Primavera el jueves, 17 de abril a las 7:45am. ¡Todas las familias están invitadas!
🔥 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 Schools discuss 3 tier bell schedule, name for new K-8 school
WWAY - Trump’s plan to dismantle Department of Education sparks local concerns and questions
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