Good News Spotlight

On Monday, May 19th, OCS achieved a significant milestone when the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction officially recognized the district as a Model Global-Ready School District. This designation represents the intentional work being done by our local public schools to prepare students for success in an increasingly interconnected world. 

Members of the Onslow County Board of Education joined Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes, and Director of Cultural Arts and Global Leadership Dr. Lisa Peele, for the recognition. 

The Global-Ready Designations, created by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, recognize schools and districts for their efforts in supporting global awareness, increasing global competence, and highlighting global education initiatives. To achieve this recognition, districts must demonstrate they meet criteria across 10 Global-Ready attributes, including career-ready employer requirements, global partnerships, K-12 world language opportunities, strategic planning for global education, and pathways for educators to achieve Global Educator Digital Badges.  

The Model Global-Ready designation recognizes school districts that excel in fostering global competencies through comprehensive programming. For OCS, this means going beyond preparing students for the next test or grade level—it means preparing them for the world itself. The district has built a culture that values global awareness and cross-cultural understanding, equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and mindset necessary to thrive as global citizens in an interconnected world. 

This designation reflects the district's multi-faceted approach to global education. At the elementary level, dual language immersion programs provide foundational international experiences, while international partnerships, including collaborative relationships with schools in Morocco, expose students to diverse global perspectives. Through our work with Global Teaching Partners, the district has welcomed international teachers into classrooms, educators who bring not only subject expertise but also enrich students' understanding through their global experiences. 

These are just a few of the achievements representing the vision of our Board of Education, Superintendent, and district and school leadership whose commitment to innovation and excellence has made this recognition possible. As the district celebrates this milestone, it stands as a champion in innovative, forward-thinking education in North Carolina – not only ready for the world but helping shape its future through the global citizens it graduates. 

We are excited to announce that due to their diligent and focused work, Southwest Middle School has been revalidated as a National Demonstration Site through the 2028 school year. Advancement Via Individual Determination, better known as AVID, seeks to provide first-time college-going students with the tools, skills and support they need to develop into motivated, confident, and productive students. 

Southwest Middle was represented by Principal Amanda West, AVID Site Coordinator Sachelle Ringley, members of the SWMS AVID site team, and Director of College and Career Readiness Dr. Michael Elder. 

At Southwest Middle School, students receive instruction through AVID methods all day, and those selected for the AVID elective participate in focused lessons to ensure they are career and college ready. AVID is active in more than 7,000 schools across 46 states. Less than 3% of schools earn recognition as National Demonstration sites. 

Following multiple site visits where teachers opened their doors to receive both coaching and celebrations, the school has been revalidated as a national demonstration site because of their dedication to student success and school-wide implementation of AVID best practices in college preparation. The AVID visiting team shared they were most impressed by the use of the AVID curriculum by the AVID Elective teachers and how students were able to share how their current learning connected with their future goals.  

The school was commended for its partnership with MENAC, their use of tutoring both during and after school, and their welcoming school-wide culture. The AVID visitors noted that “from top to bottom, students are treated with respect and admiration. The principal has modeled great relationships with the teachers, and it impacts how they relate to each other.” 

 Congratulations to Ms. West, Ms. Ringley, and the AVID site team at SWMS for this recognition. 

This fall, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will welcome 75 Morehead-Cain Scholars from across North Carolina, the United States, and the world. The class of 2029 scholars represent 22 North Carolina counties, 19 U.S. states and territories, and six countries. They were nominated by schools in eight countries. 

We are proud to announce that two of the Class of 2029 Morehead-Cain Scholars will be from Onslow County. 

From Northside High School, Joshua Olan and Principal Brad Staley. From Swansboro High School, Logan Walters and Principal Dr. Helen Gross. 

The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the oldest merit scholarship program in the United States. The selection process is highly competitive, and scholars are chosen based on their outstanding qualities in four areas: scholarship, leadership, moral force of character, and physical vigor.  

The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is a fully funded scholarship which covers all expenses for four years of undergraduate study at UNC–Chapel Hill. It also features a distinctive program of summer enrichment experiences designed to support students as they learn and grow. These include opportunities in outdoor leadership, global experiences/research, professional internships, and community service. 

Congratulations to Joshua, Logan, their parents, and the many local public school teachers who had a hand in supporting these young men in reaching this outstanding accomplishment. 

Each year, the Jacksonville Onslow Chamber of Commerce partners with businesses in the community to host the annual Trades Day Competition. This event, held on the campus of Coastal Carolina Community College, is a competition for high school students in “vocational trades” classes in Onslow and Jones County Schools.  

Trades Day gives our students an opportunity to be recognized for their talents and allows them to showcase their skills. This year’s event was held Friday, February 28, and brought students, their teachers, parents, and community members to the Coastal Carolina Community College campus.  

Hosted by the Jacksonville/Onslow Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Coastal Carolina Community College, Onslow County Schools, and the Onslow County Homebuilders Association, Trades Day is part of the district’s ongoing effort to promote workforce development and growth in our community. 

During this month's Good News Spotlight, those students who won first place in their respective categories were recognized for their accomplishments. They were joined by Will Laine, Executive Director of Secondary Education and Director of Career & Technical Education. 

Architectural Drafting 

• Jaiden Davis, 11 – Richlands High 
• Teacher – Jessie Guidry 
• Administrator – Steve Clarke 

Auto Body 

• Caleb Grace, 11 – ENCRSC/Southwest High 
• Teacher – Robbie Whaley 
• Administrator – John Shannon / Shawn Lovitt 

Automotive

• Kira Williams, 12 – ENCRSC/Swansboro High 
• Teacher – Adam Houston 
• Administrator – John Shannon / Dr. Helen Gross 

Construction (Team) 

• Logan Butts, 11 and Makenna Ramsey, 12 – Jacksonville High 
• Teacher – Kenny Kellum 
• Administrator – Brenda Hermann 

Culinary 

• Haylee Ihlanfeldt, 11 – ENCRSC/Onslow Virtual 
• Teacher – Joseph Quispe 
• Administrator – John Shannon / Carla Bradshaw 

Electrical Trades 

• Jadon Huber, 12 – Jacksonville High 
• Teacher – James Zirnheld 
• Administrator – Brenda Hermann 

Networking 

• Ryker Rohn, 12 – ENCRSC/Lejeune High 
• Teacher – Kari Cobb 
• Administrator – John Shannon / Dr. Todd Carver 

Robotics 

• Justin Davis, 11 – Richlands High 
• Teacher – Lila Hackett 
• Administrator – Steve Clarke 

Technical Drafting 

• Brody Carpenter, 11 – Richlands High 
• Teacher – Jessie Guidry 
• Administrator – Steve Clarke 

Welding I: Cutting 

• Robert Allison, 12 – White Oak High 
• Teacher – Logan Mobley 
• Administrator – Joycelyn Cassidy 

Welding II: SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) 

• Casey Simpkins, 11 – ENCRSC/Jacksonville High 
• Teacher – Brian Feil 
• Administrator – John Shannon / Brenda Hermann 

Woodworking 

• Grady Barnes, 12 – Dixon High 
• Teacher – Matthew Low 
• Administrator – Curtis Ehmann

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international educational program that challenges students to think creatively and work collaboratively to solve open-ended problems. Teams spend months developing clever solutions, writing scripts for their performance, and then showcasing their work in front of judges. Odyssey of the Mind incorporates elements of STEM problem solving, creative writing, improvisation, and teamwork. What makes it unique is that all solutions must come entirely from the students themselves—coaches can guide and support, but the creative ideas and problem-solving strategies belong to the team members.  

During this past school year approximately 25 Odyssey of the Mind teams from across Onslow County Schools used their creativity to develop unique solutions to problems.   

We are excited to recognize the Odyssey of the Mind Team from Coastal Elementary for their recent participation in the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition.  

Dr. Michael Elder, Director of Career and College Readiness, assisted with the team’s recognition.  

Coastal Elementary OM Team 

Coaches: Shana Cremer, 4th grade teacher and Jennifer Conard, 4th grade teacher

Principal: Tim Joines

Team members:

• Jetson Kingery, 3rd grade 
• Carter Wiley, 3rd grade 
• Emet Levent, 4th grade 
• Nora Martin, 4th grade 
• Renni Rivera, 4th grade
• William Conard, 5th grade 
• Arya West, 5th grade

The team competed in Problem 3, “Cooking with Books.” In this book, the students had to create an original performance depicting a chef character that presents a gourmet meal inspired by classic literature. The team had to create cooking gadgets and creatively incorporate characters from selected classical literature into their script. 

The Coastal team took first place at the Regional Tournament held at Swansboro High School in February and advanced to the State Finals where they shined bright once again and were selected to advance to the OM World Finals. This team from Coastal Elementary traveled to Michigan State University during the week of March 19th where they competed and collaborated with teams from across the country as well as from around the world. 

The team placed 19th at the World Finals and has so much to be proud of. We are proud of you and all that you did to achieve this honor. The Coastal team would like to thank all those who donated funds and encouraged the team throughout this adventure.