It's been a good couple of weeks for Deep River Elementary School. That's particularly true for Assistant Principal Erika McNickle. After Deep River received the Head of Class award on Oct. 30, McNickle was surprised at a "staff meeting" when Central Office staff dropped in and announced that she is Lee County Schools Assistant Principal of the Year.
For the second time, Deep River Elementary has claimed the Lee County Education Foundation's Head of Class award. The award is a project of the foundation, which has been giving the prize to an individual school in Lee County since 2011. The winning school's staff – from the principal to the custodians – split the $50,000 award in a merit-pay program that has been hailed by leaders from across North Carolina as an innovative way to reward achievement by a public-private partnership.
“Get your 'sky sight' on,” artist Daniel Dancer sang to students last Friday at the school, “and keep it on your whole life long.” The song was part of a presentation that represented the better part of a week's work, in which Dancer visited the school to work with its students on an art project that involved having them fill up a large-scale drawing of Tramway's tiger shark mascot so Dancer could take aerial photos and document the process on video.
Hey, Lee County! Join us on Sunday, November 3 at 2 p.m. for the WB Wicker Elementary School Dedication Ceremony to honor the school's namesake. Hope to see you there!
On the last Thursday of every month, it's We Choose Kindness Day at JR Ingram, Jr Elementary School. Students and staff wear blue and participate in a variety of kindness activities, which started a couple years ago as a way to help students remember to always choose kindness in their words, thoughts and actions. During last Thursday's We Choose Kindness Day, Ingram decided to treat first responders and those that have or are serving in the armed forces for all that they do every day.
The staff at B.T. Bullock Elementary is somewhat used to celebrations. Principal Stefanie Clarke, after all, makes them a part of the school's regular staff meetings. “We always lead staff meetings with staff celebrations inside and outside the classroom. It includes anything from a child meeting their behavior goal to the announcement of an engagement,” Clarke said. “(Monday) was most certainly a celebration I was not expecting." That's because on Monday, as Clarke and Assistant Principal Salvatore Cosimo led a regular staff meeting, Clarke was named the district's principal of the year.
