LENOIR, NC (June 30, 2021) — At the Board of Education budget session held today, Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps filled assistant principal vacancies with the announcement of four new administrators.
Amy Brawley, 7th and 8th grade math/science teacher at Kings Creek School, will fill the assistant principal position at West Caldwell High School. Brawley completed a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at Montreat College and a Master of Arts and Middle Grades Mathematics as well as a Post-Master’s Certificate in Public School Leadership from Western Carolina University.
Celine Ellison, currently teaching 7th grade Language Arts and Social Studies at Hudson Middle School, will serve as the assistant principal at William Lenoir Middle School. With 24 years of experience in middle grades education, Ellison holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a Master of Arts in Middle Grades Education with a concentration in English from Appalachian State University. She is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, National Board Certified teacher, and the recipient of a Post-Master’s Certificate in School Leadership at Western Carolina University.
Matthew Ross, assistant principal intern at Dudley Shoals Elementary, who taught in public schools for 12 years, will fill the assistant principal position at Hudson Elementary School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a Minor in American Studies Focuses: Ecocriticism and Experiential Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Ross also completed graduate studies in Middle Grades ELA and Social Studies at UNC Charlotte and a Masters of School Administration from Western Carolina University.
Braley Speagle, Language Arts/Social Studies teacher at Granite Falls Middle School with 19 years of experience as a classroom teacher and teacher leadership specialist, will serve as an assistant principal at South Caldwell High School. As a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, Speagle completed a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education with a focus in Language Arts and Social Studies at Western Carolina University. She holds a Master’s degree in Middle Grades Education with a focus in Language Arts and a School Administration License from Appalachian State University.
The school board approved two-year contracts for each administrator effective July 1, 2021. Kelly Smith, principal at Sawmills Elementary, will transfer to the assistant principal position at West Caldwell High School, who continues employment under an existing administrative contract.
“We are trying to put our leadership team together,” said Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps “These individuals will help us move in that direction. After the School Board unanimously approved Phipps’ recommendations, he responded, “This will leave our team fully completed.”