Foo Fighters "Learning to Fly"???...more on that in a moment. Don't let the number of days in the month of February fool you. While it's the shortest month on the calendar it is certainly big on content. The final week of the month is no exception. From science fairs to athletic playoffs, and even a transcontinental trip (Where In The World Did Dr. Breedlove Go!?!?) it's been a hectic, but accomplished end to the month. We can't wait to see what March brings - a day off right out of the gate is one thing as there is NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON TUESDAY, MARCH 3rd due to primary elections.
JOB SHADOW DAY AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS
The first picture of the newsletter, Brody preparing for takeoff at Wilmington International Airport, was a small part of a very special day. As we wrap up CTE Month (February), Job Shadow Day gave us so much to celebrate. Nearly 900 students (892!) registered and completed a Job Shadow Day application showing their curiosity and drive. One of the highlights of the day was seeing over 100 students learning within the Pender County Schools system, stepping into roles alongside teachers, CIS staff, transportation personnel, members of the Superintendent’s Cabinet, Data Managers, and Media Coordinators. It was a reminder that career exploration can happen in our own backyard and our students showed up ready to learn. We’re also grateful for the community support that made the day such a success, with more than 500 business and industry representatives participating. We loved seeing students connect with professionals, ask great questions, and get a real-world glimpse into different career paths. The pictures above are a small glimpse of what happened today (I couldn't find a 892 picture collage 😠). We were especially proud that students who couldn’t leave the school building still had rich career exposure through virtual guest speakers and an interactive Career Readiness platform called Microburst, which provided a virtual job shadowing experience. A big thank you to Deanna Taylor for coordinating this year’s event, and to our counselors and CDCs for promoting the opportunity and gathering applications. This was truly a community-powered day that celebrated our students and the bright futures ahead of them.
TOPSAIL MIDDLE TAKES BATTLE OF THE BOOKS TITLE
Students from across Pender County gathered at Cape Fear Middle School for this year’s Middle School Battle of the Books. Teams spent weeks reading from the list of 20 selected titles and came ready to put that work to use. The competition moved quickly. There are no buzzers, teams are on the clock for each question, so they have to talk it through, agree on an answer, and respond before time runs out. That time limit adds pressure, but it also keeps everyone focused and working together. Between rounds, students compared notes, regrouped with their coaches, and got ready for the next set of questions. Congratulations to Topsail Middle who earned the title for 2026. Surf City Middle edged Penderlea School by seven points to claim second place. Thanks to all of the students who participated and represented their schools well! We also appreciate the coaches who helped students prepare and the Cape Fear team for hosting, along with everyone who volunteered to help with timing, scoring, and setup.
PCS PREPARES FOR 2026-27 BUS RIDERSHIP WITH SURVEY COMPLETION
While students and staff focus on finishing the current school year strong, Pender County Schools is already preparing for a smooth start to 2026–27, beginning with student transportation planning. The PCS Transportation Department has launched its annual Student Ridership Survey to ensure bus assignments are accurate and ready before the first day of school. Families are asked to review their student’s transportation needs and submit any updates to help the district build efficient and reliable bus routes. Parents and guardians can complete the online survey through the Student Ridership Form, which will remain open through the end of the school year. Timely responses are essential to ensure every student who needs transportation is assigned appropriately.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS INITIATIVE
Communities in Schools (CIS) is looking for volunteers for their PaSS Third Grade Reading Program, and we’d love your help spreading the word, especially to support our Pender County schools. Volunteers are matched one-on-one with a third grader at the school of their choice and meet for just 30 minutes a week during the weeks leading up to the End-of-Grade (EOG) test in May. Anyone can participate, including high school students who have transportation, and CIS makes it easy: we provide all materials, the curriculum, and volunteer training—volunteers simply show up to read. If you or someone you know can give a half hour a week, please consider signing up and sharing this opportunity with friends, coworkers, and community groups across the county line. Reach out to Kendall McGee Englehart if interested - 910-343-1901, kendall@ciscapefear.org
STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 4TH
March 1 - 7 is NC Severe Weather Preparedness week. This week is dedicated to prepare everyone for the possibility of a tornado. On Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. Pender County Schools will conduct a drill as part of the state drill for all businesses and government agencies. Please note that South Topsail Elementary will conduct their drill on Thursday, March 5th as the school is hosting the Elementary School Battle of the Books on the 4th.
Digging Into History: WPMS Students Connect with Archaeologists Through Virtual Learning Experience
Sixth grade students in Ms. Christoff's social studies classes recently had an exciting opportunity to step beyond the classroom and into the world of archaeology through a virtual visit made possible by Skype a Scientist. During the interactive sessions, students connected with two different archaeologists who shared their expertise and experiences from the field. Read more about what the guest speakers shared with the class HERE
Dream It! Build It! STEAM It!
In STEAM classes this month at Rocky Point Elementary, our Ram students connected learning and creativity in some truly meaningful ways. As part of Black History Month and 2nd grade's Wit and Wisdom curriculum, students explored the life, leadership, and lasting impact of Martin Luther King Jr. After learning about his powerful message of equality, courage, and peaceful change, students used engineering skills to design and build podiums inspired by where he delivered his historic speeches. Read more about the activity HERE
First Grade Readers: Partners, Evidence, and Performance
First grade students at Penderlea School worked in pairs to complete an Evidence Organizer after reading Brave Irene. Each duo discussed the text, identified a sentence that showed an important idea or feeling, and recorded evidence and reasoning on their organizer. You can read more about the performances HERE
Pender County Schools Launches Parent ProTech Digital Safety Resource
Pender County Schools is excited to officially launch Parent ProTech, a free digital safety and technology resource for all PCS families. Parent ProTech offers an on-demand library of short, easy-to-understand videos and guides designed to help families navigate today’s digital world together. Topics include:
- Online safety and digital citizenship
- Social media, gaming, and streaming platforms
- Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
- Healthy screen time habits and device use
The platform also includes conversation starters to support meaningful discussions between parents and children about the technology they use every day. Click HERE to read more about how to get started.
🍎SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS🍕
You can find school lunch menus for each grade level by following THIS LINK
WEEKLY ATHLETICS SCHEDULE
podium performances
raiding the trophy case
PLAYOFF UPDATE
The Topsail women's basketball team came up short on the road at Southeast Raleigh in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs finishing off the season with an 18-10 overall record. In the men's bracket, Heide Trask fell at top-seed Farmville Central Thursday night in the second round. The Titans finish the season with a 16-10 overall record.
From Penderlea School - Big shoutout to the Penderlea Elementary Science Olympiad team! 🎉 On Saturday, February 21st we took 3rd place in “In Metrics We Trust” — and that’s not all: our team also won the Spirit Award for the most school spirit, outstanding sportsmanship, and great attitudes! 🏆💙 We’re so proud of the hard work and positive energy everyone brought.
AND...Ms. Sapp’s third graders earned a special reward for their outstanding behavior—a guest reader! Mr. Harris visited the class and read their new Wit & Wisdom book, “The Keeping Quilt” by Patricia Polacco. The story, part of their “New Home” module, was a wonderful way to celebrate their hard work while connecting to themes of family, tradition, and belonging. The students were excited to welcome their guest and enjoyed hearing the story brought to life! 📖
From Pender High - 👀Congrats to our Seniors!
From Heide Trask High - SparkLab x Betabox = Titans in Tech Mode! ⚡ Last Friday our SparkLab Titans leveled up with an onsite field trip from Betabox Learning! Students brought a friend and dove headfirst into the world of autonomous vehicles… coding drones, steering robot cars, and discovering how real engineers teach machines to think. From first-time flyers to future programmers, our scholars showed curiosity, teamwork, and serious problem-solving power. A special shoutout to Mr. Reynolds’ 1st period class for jumping in and tackling the Betabox challenges with Titan grit! Big ideas. Real tech. Curious minds. That’s how the SparkLab keeps the momentum rolling.
From Topsail Middle - We are so proud of our Topsail Middle School MathCounts Team for earning 🥉 3rd place overall at the Southeast North Carolina Chapter Competition! Our incredible team members: 8th graders Andrew O’Reilly, Declan Herbert, Christopher Fiut 7th grader Alex Agoulnik With 7th grader Ari Finch and 6th grader Christian Lambert competing as alternates. A huge thank you to our dedicated MathCounts coach, Mr. Christian Bartholomew, for his leadership and support! Special congratulations to: Andrew O’Reilly – 4th place individually and advancing to the State Competition! Declan Herbert – 9th place individually! Way to represent Topsail! We are so proud of you all!
AND...This visit was a calculated success! Members of the NC Exceptional STEM Club stopped by Mrs. Czepiel’s math class to lead fun and engaging division activities.
From Topsail Annandale Elementary - 🔬🏆 Huge congratulations to our JV & Varsity Science Olympiad teams! 🏆🔬 Our talented 4th and 5th graders from TAES and TMS absolutely crushed it on Saturday—both teams earned 2nd place overall! 🎉 👏 Shoutout to our event winners! 🥇 First Place teams included: The Adaptables, Codebusters, Ramp & Roll, What’s the Matter, and Just Plane Awesome. So proud of your hard work, teamwork, and scientific thinking. Amazing work, scientists! 🧪✨
From North Topsail Elementary - Way to go NTE Science Olympiad Varsity & Jr Varsity teams! Your hard work and perseverance paid off today!!! Jr Varsity finished first and Varsity placed 3rd in the district! We are SO PROUD of you!
From Pender Innovative Learning Academy - Super excited to say this otter has met ALL requirements for our May graduation!! We can't wait to celebrate with everyone!!
From Topsail High - Topsail High School’s PTSO and Student Council have partnered with our teachers and staff to recognize students who exemplify being ATTENTIVE the P.I.R.A.T.E. Way. During the month of February, students were nominated for consistently demonstrating attentiveness in both school and community settings. Through consistent engagement, active listening, and thoughtful participation, this student demonstrates a genuine commitment to learning and to those around them. Whether in the classroom, at school events, or in community involvement, they remain present, observant, and responsive—offering meaningful contributions and showing respect for others. Their focus and awareness set a positive example and reflect a high level of responsibility, character, and maturity. We are so excited to celebrate Lily Brooks, Ewan Courtright, Zane Natale, Zoe Resch, and Tyler Vickers with certificates and gift cards from the Topsail High School PTSO.
From South Topsail Elementary - 🎉 HUGE congratulations to the South Topsail Varsity Science Olympiad team for taking first place in the district 🥇🏆🔬! Your hard work, collaboration, and curiosity paid off – what an amazing achievement for our students and coaches!! You made us all so proud.
AND...Coach D hosted the South Topsail Olympics this week, complete with ice skating ⛸️ , air hockey 🏒 , curling 🥌, ski jumps ⛷️ and bobsled!
From Cape Fear Elementary - Science Olympiad Competition Day was one for the books! Our Cubs represented with confidence, teamwork, and determination — and they made us so proud! From testing events to building challenges, they showed what preparation and perseverance can do. A huge THANK YOU to our amazing families for your continued support and encouragement. We are also so grateful to our PTO for providing lunch and keeping our team fueled for the day! And a very special shout-out to the incredible ladies who led our team to success: Mrs. Taylor, Ms. Hamilton, Mrs. McCloskey, Mrs. Bass, Mrs. Biersbach, Mrs. Garvey, and Mrs. Gainey — your dedication, time, and passion make all the difference. 1st Place Varsity Bridge-a-roni 2nd Place Varsity In Metrics We Trust 3rd Place Varsity Coastal Countdown 3rd Place Varsity Bones in Brawn 3rd Place Varsity Code Busters 3rd Place JV Bones in Brawn 3rd Place JV Ramp & Roll
AND...Mrs Hewlett’s class enjoyed upgraded recess for earning perfect attendance!
From Surf City Elementary - Who says math can’t be playful? 🌈🐣 In Ms. Meadow's Pre-K this morning, little hands measured classroom pets with crayons, blocks, and ribbons — learning measurement, comparison, and teamwork through play. 📏✨
AND...This week in Wit & Wisdom, Ms. Gruber's 3rd grade class read The Keeping Quilt and explored the beautiful traditions in the story. Students learned about challah bread, babushkas, and wedding huppas-and even got to taste challah and see a real babushka up close! They also created their own classroom quilt with pieces that represent their special class community. Such a meaningful and memorable week of learning!
From West Pender Middle - 6th grade students in Ms. Christoff’s social studies classes had an incredible opportunity to step back in time—without ever leaving the classroom! Thanks to the organization Skype a Scientist, they were able to meet virtually with three different archeologists! 🌎
From Rocky Point Elementary - Thank you to all of our RPE families who came out for "Math & Science Night!" It was a great night of laughter & learning!
From Malpass Corner Elementary - What an incredible day for our MCE Eagles! 🦅✨ Today, our Eagles competed in the County Science Olympiad competition — and we truly SHINED! Many of our students walked away with medals, showcasing their hard work, dedication, and love for learning. We are so proud of the determination and teamwork displayed throughout the competition. A huge thank you to our amazing coaches for preparing our students so well and to our families for your continued support. Eagles, you represented our nest with excellence — this is how we SOAR! 🏅🔬💙
AND...🐝✨ Learning is Buzzing in 3rd Grade! ✨🐝 Today, our amazing 3rd graders in Ms. Snyder’s class put on their scientist hats and explored what makes bees such incredible pollinators! Students discovered that bees use their hairy bodies and legs to pick up pollen as they move from flower to flower. 🌼 Our Eagles were engaged, curious, and full of great questions as they uncovered how these small creatures make a BIG impact on our environment. Way to go, 3rd grade scientists—your learning is creating quite the buzz! 🐝💛
From Cape Fear Middle - 🚁 Grizzly Drone Team Competition!!! Huge shoutout to our sponsor, Mr. Odom, for making this possible! Our Grizzlies got up early, Saturday, February 21st and headed to Union Pines High School for their second ever Drone Competition — and they showed up! Despite having to rewrite their entire drone code from scratch on the fly (talk about pressure!), our Grizzlies still came in 4th overall in the finals with their Alliance partner and 6th place overall. That's a major jump from their last competition, and they're just getting started. March can't come soon enough! 🔥
From Surf City Middle - Caught reading! Be like Logan, and read a great book today!
From Preschool - Mrs Robertson's preschool class at CFES is continuing their insect study. During large group they had to experiment with working in groups and moving like an insect with six legs and three body parts. We made one group a spider with 8 legs. Children engaged in multiple activities including write the room, measuring insects, writing letters/words in salt, counting insects, painting ladybugs, and much more.
Pender-Topsail Post - Front Page
WECT - Pender County Schools marks construction milestone at new J.H. Lea Schools
PORT CITY DAILY - ‘Blood on your hands’: Residents sound alarm by development that could double population of Holly Ridge
Credits:
Created with images by STOATPHOTO - "Whats New.,Communication, business and knowledge concept.,Wooden table" • Calin Tatu - "Dramatic storm and microburst cloud with rain over country road in rural area" • Photography by Rob D - "Detailed closeup macro photo of a basketball, sports background." • Uuganbayar - "What else word written under torn paper concept." • manit - "Hand of young business using smartphone, Social media concept."