West Columbus School

At a recent Board meeting, the Board recognized the recipients of the Future Teacher Scholarship. Matthew Brown of South Columbus High School and Patience Daniels of West Columbus High School were honored for their commitment to pursuing careers in education. Their selection reflects both their academic achievement and passion for teaching, and the Board commended them for taking the first steps toward becoming future educators in our community.

During a recent Board meeting, the Teachers of the Year and Principals of the Year were honored for their outstanding leadership, dedication, and impact on student success. The Board recognized these exceptional educators for their commitment to excellence and their vital role in shaping the future of Columbus County Schools. TOY Nominees Susan Carr Adrienne Carroll Connie Faulk Karen Haley Heather Tilly Tonya Nobles Michele Bolton Darryl Spivey Khadijah Tart Lisa Hamilton Kim Watson Janet Hewett POY Nominees Kelly Beck Shelly Cullipher Leslie Faulk

At a recent board meeting, AR Ammons Poetry Winners were honored: Division I First Place Isabella Holmes Old Dock Elementary School Division I Honorable Mention Ainsley Ward Old Dock Elementary School Division I Honorable Mention Kera Starnes Old Dock Elementary School Division I Honorable Mention Coleman Smart West Columbus School Division I Honorable Mention Lane Tompkins Tabor City School Division I Honorable Mention Adelina Beck Old Dock Elementary Division I Honorable Mention Lisbeth Lemus Old Dock Elementary Division I Honorable Mention Mia Strickland Old Dock Elementary Division I Honorable Mention Kinleigh Butler Old Dock Elementary Division I Honorable Mention Ellorie Ward Old Dock Elementary Division I Second Place Camille Canady Old Dock Elementary School Division I Third Place Colton McKeithan Old Dock Elementary School Division II First Place Anna Marie Bell Hallsboro / Artesia Elementary Division II Honorable Mention Julie Ward Nakina Middle School Division II Honorable Mention Henlee Ward Tabor City School Division II Honorable Mention Brystal Ward Old Dock Elementary Division II Honorable Mention Liam Dyson West Columbus School Division III Honorable Mention Morgan Smith Nakina Middle School Division III Honorable Mention Deacon Whaley Nakina Middle School Division III Honorable Mention Annabelle Wright Nakina Middle School Division III Honorable Mention Elizabeth Valdez Nakina Middle School Division III Honorable Mention Laney McPherson Nakina Middle School Division III Honorable Mention Khadijah Currie East Columbus JR/SR High Division III Third Place Isabella Rivero Nakina Middle School Division IV First Place Landyn Norris South Columbus High Division IV Honorable Mention LilyAnne Long Columbus Career and College Academy Division IV Honorable Mention Tanijia Gerald Columbus Career and College Academy Division IV Honorable Mention Mckenna Ware-Rudnik East Columbus JR/SR High Division IV Honorable Mention Hailey Long South Columbus High Division IV Honorable Mention Melody Gilbert Columbus Career and College Academy Division IV Honorable Mention Cynthia Ward West Columbus High Division IV Honorable Mention Stephen Tatman, Jr. South Columbus High Division IV Honorable Mention Landon Hoopes Columbus Career and College Academy Division IV Honorable Mention Mika Williams South Columbus High Division IV Honorable Mention Morgan Cartrette South Columbus High Division IV Honorable Mention Mckenna Ware-Rudnik East Columbus JR/SR High Division IV Honorable Mention Jennifer Perez South Columbus High Division IV Second Place Aisha Skye Reyes South Columbus High Division IV Third Place Landyn Norris South Columbus High

At a recent Board meeting, the Celebrate the Arts Gold Key winners were recognized for having the best artwork in the show. These students demonstrated remarkable creativity and artistic excellence, rising to the top among hundreds of entries. The Board commended them for their talent, hard work, and outstanding representation of the arts in Columbus County Schools. ECJSHS Mckenna Ware-Rudnik ECJSHS Brittany Mitchell ECJSHS Milana Graham ECJSHS Sophia Robertson SCHS Greidys Avelino SCHS Madison McMillian SCHS India Sammons SCHS Samuel Cunningham SCHS Alan Rodriguez SCHS Drake Cribb SCHS Lily Greene SCHS Lena Taylor WCHS Samantha Strickland WCHS Zayda Eddie WCHS Brianna Thomas WCHS Lia Specht WCHS Karmen McDuffie WCHS Ricky Johnson WCHS Lindsey Hayes WCHS Ivan Osorio-Abonza ADES Dulce Gonzalez Gonzalez ADES Dulce Gonzalez Gonzalez ADES Vanessa Jauregui-Del Angel ADES Morgan Pridgen ECJSHS Sophia Alvarado Rivera ECJSHS Yamileth Gonzalez-Baza ECJSHS Luziana Cruz Perez HAES Cara Britt HAES Anthony Gurganious HAES Dondria Sadler HAES Mya Jacobs HAES Cole Lynch NMS Javier Diaz NMS Sara Rivenbark NMS Ellie Wright NMS Sandy Nunez NMS Bridgette Perdomo TCS Devora Redondo TCS Andrea Powell TCS Kimberly Manning TCS Loren Hinson TCS Mileigh Stevenson WCS Arabella Tchorz WCS Ella Fletcher WCS Kaylee Bethea-Davis WCS Kenzie Martin WCS Chantal Judd WTS Kalie Blanton WTS Julia Bailey WTS Joanna Cox WTS Aria Bowen WTS Johnny Dominguez WTS Johnny Domingues WTS Legend McCray

🎉 This past week, Ms. Kim Watson was recognized at the Board Meeting as the West Columbus School Teacher of the Year! 🌟 Her dedication, passion, and excellence in the classroom truly make a difference every day. We’re excited to cheer her on this fall as she moves forward in the running for District Teacher of the Year! 🏆 Let’s wish her the best as she continues to shine! 💙 #WarriorPride #TeacherOfTheYear #WCSExcellence

We are so thankful for the heart of our administration, who made today extra special with a beautiful lunch full of love and celebration. We honored the incredible Ms. Capps on her well-deserved retirement, showered Mrs. Shelley with love as she prepares to welcome her new baby, and finally had the joy of officially presenting Ms. Watson with her Teacher of the Year “Warrior” !

📢 We’re Hiring at West Columbus School!🌟 Apply now through the SchoolSpring portal: 👉 https://columbus.schoolspring.com/

Columbus County Schools Exceptional Children’s Office is hereby notifying the public of the intent to destroy confidential special education records. The public is duly notified that the former student or legal guardian of said student may need these records in the future for social security purposes, legal defense, or other reasons. Former students (or their legal guardians) born in 1998 or before who received special education services while enrolled in Columbus County Schools may request a copy of the confidential special education file. A copy of the file may be requested by the former student or legal guardian by notifying the Exceptional Children’s Office. Picture identification is required before records will be released to anyone. The person receiving the records will be asked to sign a form documenting receipt of the records. To request records, contact the Exceptional Children’s Office at 2586 James B. White Highway, Whiteville, NC 28472. (910) 642-5168 All confidential special education records of persons born in 1998 and before will be destroyed on or immediately after July 30, 2025

Schools will release students at approximately 1 PM on Friday, June 6th. Have a great summer!

🏈 Attention 8th Grade Families! 🏈 Join Coach La Monte Williamson and the coaching staff for their Football Parent Meeting on Monday, June 9th, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the WCHS Cafeteria. 📣 He is inviting incoming freshman parents to attend! This important meeting will cover everything you need to know about the upcoming season, team rules, and expectations.

8th Grade Families of West Columbus School, On Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m., the 8th grade students will participate in an awards and continuation ceremony in the gymnatorium at West Columbus School. We will reflect on the school year, recognize successes, and hear a charge for the future. Students should arrive at 5:00 p.m. and go to the cafeteria to meet their homeroom teacher. They should wear modest dresses or slacks. (No blue jeans.) Balloons and bags will not be permitted in the gym. We look forward to celebrating your student's success on Thursday evening!

Reminder - Tuesday, June 3, 2025, we will celebrate the hard work and achievements of our amazing students in grades 5–7! 📚✨ 📅 Schedule: 7th Grade – 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM 5th Grade – 12:45 PM to 1:15 PM 6th Grade – 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM

Tomorrow at West Columbus School is another full day of celebration and recognition! 🏅 K–4th Grade Awards ✏️ 2nd Grade – 8:30–9:15 AM 📘 1st Grade – 9:45–10:30 AM 🖍️ Kindergarten – 11:15 AM–12:00 PM 📓 3rd Grade – 12:15–1:00 PM 📗 4th Grade – 1:30–2:15 PM 🎖️ Athletic Banquet – 6:00 PM

The Food Bank of Wilmington is hosting a Pop-Up Market in Cerro Gordo! 📍 Cerro Gordo Baptist Church 📅 Monday, June 2nd, 2025 ⏰ 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM 📫 257 Church St, Cerro Gordo, NC 28430

We have a handful of the 2024-2025 yearbook available for $50. Get yours before they are gone.

🎉 Congratulations to our 2024–2025 7th Grade Marshals! Your hard work, leadership, and dedication have earned you this special honor. We are proud of each of you! 👏💫

🚨 Busy day alert! Tomorrow is packed with fun at school! Here's the schedule: 🏅 Pre-K Awards – 10:30 AM 🎼 K–2 Musical – 12:00 PM 🎤 3–4 Musical – 1:00 PM ✨ 6–8 Semi-Formal Dance – 6:00–8:00 PM It's going to be a fun and busy day full of celebration, talent, and dancing! 🌟🎭🎉

Today, a system error temporarily disrupted the NCTest platform statewide, affecting all students in North Carolina who were scheduled to test this morning. The outage lasted approximately 40 minutes. Prompt corrective action restored the system, allowing students to resume testing shortly thereafter. All tests were completed successfully. We sincerely thank our teachers and students for their patience, focus, and resilience during the disruption. At this time, we anticipate no further issues.

Parents & Guardians — EOG testing in Math is tomorrow for our 3rd through 8th Graders! ⏰ Please make sure students arrive on time! 🍎 Tips for a Great Test Prep: ✅ Get a good night’s sleep ✅ Eat a healthy breakfast (we’ve got breakfast at school too!) ✅ Stay positive — they’ve got this! 💪

A professional photographer will be available at the Middle School Semi-Formal Dance!