United and Impactful – Cumberland County Schools’ 2024 ‘Of The Year’ Teachers and Administrators
District announces award winners during Convocation 2023
Fayetteville, N.C. – On Tuesday, August 15, with nearly all of the district’s 6,000 employees in attendance during Convocation 2023, Cumberland County Schools (CCS) proudly announced its 2024 Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Assistant Principal of the Year and Beginning Teacher of the Year. The joint celebration took place at the Crown Complex and was themed Cumberland Strong: United for Student Success. Once the Convocation activities concluded, the winners and their guests were honored at a Premier Professionals Reception with district and school leaders and the Board of Education.
“During today’s Convocation 2023, we were honored to recognize these exemplary Premier Professionals who are true champions in education and advocates for every student,” said CCS Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly, Jr. “In CCS, we prioritize retaining exceptional talent and are proud to support the professional development of every employee. This celebration and these ‘Of The Year’ winners highlight how our teachers and administrators are skilled, caring, dedicated and united for student success!”
2024 Teacher of the Year
With a focus on tailoring the student experience to best support their success, 2024 Teacher of the Year Steven Barbour from Terry Sanford High School (TSHS) wrote in his nomination portfolio, “Students need to feel personally invested in their learning to be successful. Building meaningful relationships with students is an important component of that investment – empowerment is the other.”
Using these two concepts, Barbour designs his classroom and history course instruction to empower students of different backgrounds and abilities to succeed. He has taken the initiative to modify course timelines to ensure that students understand the complexities of producing and consuming history. He also began what is now an annual photography exhibition in honor of Chris Hondros, an American war photographer and TSHS alumnus who passed away while covering the violence in Libya in 2011, to increase student engagement and celebrate the intellectual accomplishments of TSHS students and alumni.
TSHS Principal Dr. Catherine Abraham-Johnson praises Barbour, who also serves as the Head Coach for the men’s and women’s soccer teams, for his excellence and leadership in the classroom and beyond, saying, “Mr. Barbour is an outstanding educator, coach, mentor and overall wonderful person who exemplifies distinguished leadership in the teaching profession.”
Barbour started his educational career in 1996 and first joined CCS in 2000. He earned his master’s in Social Studies Education in 2009 from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
As CCS' 2024 Teacher of the Year, Barbour received:
- A trophy-award and a plant from CCS.
- $300 from the Cumberland County Board of Education (CCBOE).
- $500 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.
- $3,000 from LaFayette Ford-LaFayette Lincoln ($1,000 for personal use and $2,000 for use at his school).
- A commemorative custom-designed CCS’ Teacher of the Year ring from Jostens.
- Two season tickets from Fayetteville Marksmen Hockey.
- A $50 gift card from Luigi's Italian Chophouse & Bar.
As the county-wide winner, Barbour will advance to compete for the regional title.
Other winners announced Tuesday were first runner-up David Gilchrist from John Griffin Middle School, who received a trophy-award and a plant from CCS, $200 from the CCBOE and $300 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.; and second runner-up Katheryn "Kathy" Lee from Cape Fear High School, who received a trophy-award and flowers from CCS, $100 from the CCBOE and $200 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.The 10 Teacher of the Year Attendance Area finalists were awarded an iPad from CCS and $100 from the CCBOE. All of the district’s Teacher of the Year candidates received $100 and one hour of C.E.U. credit from CCS, a plaque-certificate from the CCBOE and a photo session and professional headshots from Lifetouch photography.
2024 Principal of the Year
CCS was also proud to announce Erica Fenner-McAdoo from Howard Hall Elementary School (HHES) as the 2024 Principal of the Year. She believes that students need a challenging and personalized experience in school. She has enacted a set of systems to ensure that HHES students receive that experience and prioritizes professional development for HHES staff to ensure they can deliver and support it. She fosters positive relationships with her staff, saying, “I strive to make our school atmosphere one that is desired to work in, and I know that begins with me.”
“Mrs. Fenner-McAdoo's’s leadership fosters an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect within the school by collaboratively working with her staff, maintaining open communication, and by creating an environment where individuals are welcomed, treated fairly, and supported,” said a HHES staff member.
Fenner-McAdoo started her CCS career in 2009 as an assistant principal at Ponderosa Elementary School before becoming a principal at Walker-Spivey Elementary School in 2014 and HHES in 2017. She earned her master’s of school administration in 2009 from Fayetteville State University.
As CCS' 2024 Principal of the Year, Fenner-McAdoo received:
- A trophy award from the Cumberland County Board of Education.
- Flowers from Cumberland County Schools.
- A commemorative custom-designed CCS’ Principal of the Year ring from Jostens.
- Two season tickets from Fayetteville Marksmen Hockey.
- $50 gift card from Luigi's Italian Chophouse & Bar.
- A massage session at Between Heaven & Earth Day Spa in Fayetteville.
- $3,000 from LaFayette Ford-LaFayette Lincoln ($1,000 for personal use and $2,000 for school use).
Fenner-McAdoo will go on to compete for the Sandhills Regional Principal of the Year title.
All CCS’ 2024 Principal of the Year Finalists received:
- A plaque-certificate from the Cumberland County Board of Education.
- A $100 stipend, a rolling desk, and 1 C.E.U. credit from Cumberland County Schools.
- A photo session and professional headshot from Lifetouch photography.
2024 Assistant Principal of the Year
CCS proudly announced that Kristle Rouse from Westover High School (WOHS) is the 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year. Rouse earned her master’s of school administration in 2018 from Grand Canyon University. She began her CCS career in 2013 at A.B. Wilkins High School.
In addition to a belief that leaders need to practice servant-leadership and open-door style communication, Rouse said in her nomination portfolio, “I believe it is important for leaders to be continuous, life-long learners. Education is always evolving and, as instructional leaders, we have to be well-versed in educational trends.”
As CCS' 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year, Rouse received:
- A trophy award from the Cumberland County Board of Education.
- Flowers and a rolling desk from Cumberland County Schools.
- Two season tickets from Fayetteville Marksmen Hockey.
- $100 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, Inc., for personal use.
All CCS’ 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year Finalists received::
- A plaque-certificate from the Cumberland County Board of Education.
- A $100 stipend, an iPad and 1 C.E.U. credit from Cumberland County Schools.
- A photo session and professional headshot from Lifetouch photography.
2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year
During the celebration, CCS also named Sade' Mangum, who teaches at Seventy-First High School, as the 2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year.
“Mrs. Mangum took risks in her classroom and was not afraid to allow her students to engage in rich discourse and allowed her scholars to discover their individual strengths through exploration. She has definitely demonstrated her ability to make connections with scholars in and outside the classroom,” said Seventy-First High School Principal Niesha Witherspoon.
As CCS' 2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year, Mangum received:
- A trophy-award from the CCBOE.
- Flowers and an iPad from CCS.
- $200 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.
- A $100 gift card from School Tools.
- A gift card from Texas Roadhouse.
- Two season tickets to the Fayetteville Marksmen Hockey Games.
Mangum will go on to compete in the statewide North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) 2023-2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.The six Beginning Teacher of the Year finalists received a plaque-certificate from the CCBOE, one C.E.U. credit from CCS, $100 from Olde Fayetteville Insurance and Financial Services, Inc. and a photo session and professional headshot from Lifetouch photography.
Event Sponsors and Donations
CCS is grateful for the work of the CCAPAP (Cumberland County Association of Principals and Assistant Principals) and the event's emcee, WFNC 640 AM's Good Morning Fayetteville Host, Jeff 'Goldy' Goldberg.
The district is also thankful for the generous donation and event sponsorships from LaFayette Ford- LaFayette Lincoln and Olde Fayetteville Insurance & Financial Services, Inc., as well as the donations from all of the contributing community businesses.
2024 Teacher of the Year - Steven Barbour from Terry Sanford High School
2024 Principal of the Year - Erica Fenner-McAdoo from Howard Hall Elementary School
2024 Assistant Principal of the Year - Kristle Rouse from Westover High School
2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year - Sade' Mangum from Seventy-First High School
Click here to access photos from Convocation 2023 and the Premier Professionals Reception.
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