The Good News Spotlight is an opportunity to publicly recognize the students, staff, community members and others that embody and support our vision of Excellence in Education. Pictures, stories and other information from our Good News Spotlight, and from around Onslow County Schools, will be posted here.
Check out the links for information about the Good News from Onslow County Schools!
Good News Spotlight
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of President Lyndon Johnson. Since that time, the program has honored over 8,000 outstanding high school seniors.
The mission of the Presidential Scholars Program is to recognize and honor outstanding high school seniors and thereby encourage high attainment among all students. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.
Based upon his local nomination, Jacksonville High School senior, Nathan Reese, has been selected by the NC Department of Public Instruction Presidential Scholars Nomination Committee to move forward as a state nominee in the next round of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Nathan represents the best of North Carolina’s students based on his outstanding scholarship qualities in the General Education category.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program will notify students in mid-January 2025 to apply directly to the Commission on Presidential Scholars. Candidates will go through a national application process, with Semifinalists notified in mid-April and Scholars announced in May 2025.
All scholars selected by the Commission on Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments during the online National Recognition Program and are awarded the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion. Scholars selected from North Carolina will be honored at the State Board of Education in early June of 2025.
Nathan, congratulations on this nomination and best wishes in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program process.
We are excited to celebrate the exceptional talent of Tessa Sapp, an 8th-grade student at New Bridge Middle School whose artwork "Hive City" has earned her recognition in the WonderWorks Art Contest.
Tessa's intricate and imaginative piece, depicting a bustling hive, impressed the judges and showcased her dedication and artistic skill. Tessa’s work will be featured in the ART-OLINA: Youth Art Gallery of the Carolinas at WonderWorks Myrtle Beach, placing her among the finest young artists in the region.
This year’s theme, "The Nature of STEM," invited participants to explore the intersection of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics with the natural world. Tessa's "Hive City" brilliantly captures this theme, reflecting her curiosity and passion for learning.
Tessa's achievement is a testament to her hard work and the support of her family, her teacher and NBMS. We are proud of Tessa's success and look forward to seeing her continue to inspire us with her talent.
Congratulations, Tessa, on this outstanding accomplishment!
OCS has a tradition of honoring those who have served our community for at least one full term as elected members of the Onslow County Board of Education.
Melissa Oakley served on the Board from December 2020 until December 2024, and was chair of the OCS Policy Committee as well as one of our two student appeals panels.
During her tenure, she avidly supported advancing security measures and initiatives to improve school facilities. She advocated for increased pay for our bus drivers and saw the district open two new elementary schools – Coastal Elementary and Clear View Elementary – along with the Onslow Virtual School. She was also on the board for the design and development of Woodland Elementary School which is scheduled to open in June 2025. She was a strong voice for increasing mental health services in schools and was committed to making a positive difference in the overall well-being and safety of students and staff.
To thank you for your service, we have presented Ms. Oakley with artwork which commemorates the schools constructed, or under construction, during her time as a Board member.
Ken Reddic. Mr. Reddic came onto the Board in June 2018. He was selected to be Vice Chair on December 6, 2022, and on March 15, 2023, he was elected to be Chair of the Board of Education. He held this position until his retirement from Board service in December 2024. Prior to his time on the Board of Education, he served OCS at the school level as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal. Mr. Reddic also served as a key member of the district’s Instructional Services Department, where he worked with curriculum development and improving teaching practices.
As a board member, Mr. Reddic served on the student appeals panels and was the first chair of the OCS Policy Committee. He also saw the district open the Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center, the Onslow Virtual School, and Richlands, Coastal and Clear View Elementary Schools. Mr. Reddic oversaw the Board for the design and development of Woodland Elementary School – located on the site of the old Tabernacle Elementary – which is scheduled to open in June.
As Board Chair, Mr. Reddic provided steady and stable leadership. His strong instructional background ensured a focus on maintaining teaching and learning, and his calm presence and deliberative style were essential in the board’s work to expand efforts to provide our students and staff with a safe and secure learning environment.
To thank him for his service, we have presented him with artwork which commemorates the schools constructed, or under construction, during his time as a Board member, as well as the gavel used during his time as Board Chair.
January is Board Appreciation Month – on behalf of OCS, I want to thank you for your support and dedication to our school district's students and staff. As a token of our appreciation, it has been our custom to present our Board members with student artwork.
Framed copies of the selections are being provided to each of our artists, and there are framed copies for each of our board members, as well. I would like to ask you to come down at the end of the meeting and select one to take home with you. The artist’s name, grade and school are on the back of each framed piece.
I would like to thank our Director of Cultural Arts & Global Leadership Dr. Lisa Peele for coordinating the submissions and OCS Director of Printing Services Bob Sabisch and his staff for making the prints.
When I call your name, we would like each artist, their teacher and administrator to come up and receive their certificate and framed copy of their artwork. (Read left to right, top to bottom)
Winter Lantern
- Kalia Ekblom, 4th – Hunters Creek Elementary
- Margaret Ferry, Visual Arts Teacher
- Dr. Gail Pylant, Principal
Tree Frog
- Isabella Akers, 8th – Trexler Middle
- Clare Marquardt, Visual Arts Teacher
- Willie Jarman, Principal
Pastel Leaves
- Lillian Lee-Andres, 6th – Swansboro Middle
- Megan Pinkerton, Visual Arts Teacher
- Page Highsmith, Principal
Coke Bottle
- Isabella Romero, 10th – Northside High
- Kayla Oler, Visual Arts Teacher
- Brad Staley, Principal
Mountain Landscape
- Scarlette Gennrich, 9th – Jacksonville High
- Bernie Rosage, Visual Arts Teacher
- Brenda Hermann, Principal
Portrait
- Jakwann Barnette, 3rd – Stateside Elementary
- Amanda Walters, Visual Arts Teacher
- Michele Riggs, Principal
Sunflowers
- Ace Peguero, 11th Grade – Richlands High
- Andrea Tripp, Visual Arts Teacher
- Christel Caliguire, Assistant Principal
Congratulations to these outstanding student artists and their teachers.
Each year Onslow County Schools reaches out to students to submit holiday themed artwork for our district Christmas Card. We would like to recognize the students whose artwork appeared on this year’s Christmas card.
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Kierstyn Wallace – 10th grade at Swansboro High School – her teacher is Erin Strohschein, and her principal is Dr. Helen Gross.
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Callie Gray – 8th grade at Trexler Middle School – her teacher is Clare Marquardt, and her principal is Willie Jarman.
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Isabella Nativi – 5th grade at Summersill Elementary School – her teacher is Lindsey Millice, and her principal is Donna Chadwick.
Each of our student artists received a certificate of appreciation and a framed copy of the district card featuring their work. Congratulations to our amazing student artists and their dedicated teachers.