Columbus County School District -

The students at Tabor City School enjoyed spending their Accelerated Reader points for prizes at Tabor City School for the fourth nine weeks!  

The students at Tabor City School participated in the Daughters of American Revolution reading program, “America 250 Kids Book Club”.  Eighty students read ten books or more about America and then tested their knowledge on what they learned by taking an Accelerated Reader test.  The students thoroughly enjoyed reading about their country, historical places, and the founding fathers of America.  Ms. Karen Dawsey recognized Taylor Lewis, a fourth grade student who read 40 books and Mrs. Debra Rogers, Media Coordinator, for encouraging the students to participate in the program. Dr. Norris and the staff would like to thank the NC DAR Association in Whiteville for sponsoring this event.

Southeastern Community College and Sampson Community College are launching the NC HE²ALS Summer Program in Summer 2026 as an initiative for rising 9th and 10th grade students. The program is designed to introduce students to careers in the healthcare field while helping them build awareness of educational pathways and workforce opportunities available in our region.
During the program, students will have the opportunity to:
Learn about a variety of healthcare careers
Engage in hands-on learning experiences
Interact with healthcare professionals
Explore educational pathways that lead to high-demand healthcare careers
Because this is our first year, we are intentionally starting with Summer 1 and focusing on rising 9th and 10th graders.

This program is made possible through the support and funding provided by the J.M. Belk Endowment. Summer programming for high school students is one of several strategies supported by JMBE to address workforce shortages in our region through NC HE²ALS (Health Education & Employer Aligned Local Strategies).

TCS celebrated their 6-8 student's hard work and positive behavior last night at the Colts Gala. It was a fun night for students and staff with good food, music, dancing, and lots of smiles! 💜

Columbus County Schools is hosting a Job Fair on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the CCS Central Services Building (2586 James B. White Hwy, Whiteville, NC). This event offers job seekers the opportunity to meet with recruiters, explore available positions, and learn more about careers within the district. For more information, call 910-642-5168 ext. 24013 or 24014, or visit the CCS careers page at https://columbus.schoolspring.com/
to view openings and apply online.

TCS would like to congratulate Mrs. Hagan Suggs. She graduated from SCC with an Associate of Arts degree.

Columbus County Schools: Teacher Assistants to Teachers! 🍎 Tabor City School: Ana Blake, Taylor Housand, and Lacey Sykes. Old Dock Elementary: Lorena Baker Congratulations! 🎉 🎉🎉

Our online student registration portal is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please do not attempt to use the portal until further notice. We will post an update as soon as the system is working again.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

Private School/Homeschool Administrators:

Federal law provides services for Exceptional Children who are parentally placed in private schools or homeschools. The Columbus County School District is in the process of contacting administrators of private schools to determine what services might be appropriately provided. If your private school/homeschool is no longer operational, please notify our office.

If you feel that a child might be disabled, and an evaluation is necessary, or if a child has already been classified as disabled and you would like services for that child, please plan to attend a meeting at the Columbus County Schools Board of Education, 2586 James B. White Hwy North, Building A, Whiteville, NC 28472 on May 18th, 2026 at 5:00pm to discuss services for 2026-2027 school year. If you are unable to attend, please contact me at 910-642-5168 ext. 24016 to discuss services.

Melanie McCready
Director of Exceptional Children’s Programs

Thanks to a collaboration between Columbus County Schools and Duke Children’s Project Adam, Nakina Middle School is a Heart Safe School! Project ADAM North Carolina is a specialized program dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac death in schools

TCS would like to express appreciation to our School Nurse, Mrs. Shonna Gurkin, on National Nurses' Day. We appreciate everything you do for our school! ❤️

Congratulations and Best Wishes to the former Nakina Middle School Mustangs who are graduating from SCHS this year! We are proud of your accomplishments and look forward to the great things you will do in this world! #schsclassof2026 #nmsmustangs 🎓

Congratulations to the School Lunch Heroes at Nakina Middle School for achieving a Sanitation Rating of 100! We appreciate all that you do to prepare food and provide a clean and welcoming place for students and staff to share a meal.

TCS would like to thank Allen and Jenny Strickland for treating our teachers to breakfast this morning. We appreciate you! #TeacherAppreciationWeek

Mrs. Tylers' 5th graders at Tabor City School are making a real impact beyond the classroom! 🐟 As part of Project RESTORE, a statewide conservation effort, students and teachers raise fish in classroom tanks before releasing them into local waterways. Recently, students released rockfish into the Tar River to help replenish the population. Supported by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, this program plays an important role in restoring fish populations across North Carolina. Through this hands-on experience, students learn about life cycles, ecosystems, and environmental stewardship while actively contributing to conservation efforts right here in our state. By participating in this initiative, Tabor City students are not only learning science—they’re helping strengthen the health of our waterways for future generations. 🌎💧 #TaborCitySchool #CCS #STEMinAction #NCWildlife #StudentSuccess #NCNaturalScienceMuseum

Some of our wonderful students at TCS and our Child Nutrition Director, Kim Clontz took time today to celebrate our amazing Child Nutrition staff in honor of National School Lunch Day! 💜🍎 Your hard work, dedication, and care do not go unnoticed. You show up every day to make sure our students are nourished, supported, and ready to learn and that means everything. Thank you for all that you do. You truly make a difference! 🦸‍♀️🍽️

Today we celebrate our incredible lunch ladies for School Lunch Hero Day! 🥪💛

Thank you for the early mornings, the warm smiles, and the care you put into every meal you serve. You do so much more than feed our students—you create a welcoming space, brighten days, and make sure every child feels cared for.

We are so grateful for your hard work, kindness, and dedication to our school community. Please join us in showing them some love today! 👏🍎

#SchoolLunchHeroDay #ThankYou #SchoolFamily

Happy National Principals' Day, Dr. Norris!

Friday, May 1, is a regular school day for Columbus County Schools.

Some media outlets have shared incorrect information indicating otherwise. Please note that all schools will operate on their normal schedules.

We look forward to a great day of learning across the district!