Lenoir County schools start year with excitement, growth
The first week of school brought energy and optimism across Lenoir County Public Schools, with teachers and administrators pointing to rising enrollment, strong community support and students eager to return to class.
At Contentnea-Savannah School, Principal Dr. Heather Walston said this year’s opening has been the smoothest she has seen.
“This has been the best I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Walston said. “Our enrollment has gone up, and we’ve had just a lot of support from our community, a lot of parent support and a lot of happy teachers coming in.”
Walston said families were on campus before the first day, helping with landscaping and beautification projects to welcome students back. That support, she added, has set a positive tone for the year.
Kindergarten teacher Kristen Taylor said the school’s staggered entry plan has been especially effective in easing children into their first week.
“We had one-third of our students Monday, one-third Tuesday, one-third Wednesday, and tomorrow they’ll all be here,” Taylor said. “It’s a good way to break them in and teach them the routines. It helps us welcome them when it’s their first time being away from home. Tomorrow will be the real test, and we’re excited to start building a classroom family.”
At Kinston High School, Principal Kellan Bryant said teachers focused the opening days on relationships and culture, laying the groundwork for academic success.
“Our teachers are doing a really good job of building relationships and making sure they understand students’ learning styles and what they need in the classroom,” Bryant said. “That has to happen first, and we make it a huge priority in the first few weeks.”
Bryant said excitement has been easy to see in hallways and classrooms. Students are taking pride in their “fits” — their first-week outfits — and creating social media buzz about the new year.
“The fact that they’re so excited about the start of school makes it even more exciting for us,” Bryant said. “You want to create that culture where they’re excited to see each other and they’re celebrating each other. That makes a difference.”
Beyond the enthusiasm, Bryant pointed to strong staffing, low teacher turnover and growing career and technical education programs as signs of momentum. Last year’s graduating class earned a record number of scholarships, and early conversations about college, military and workforce opportunities have already begun this fall.
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