As buses rolled on Monday, students across Beaufort County were welcomed back to their classrooms by familiar faces at most schools. While staffing shuffles and new hires have filled in at the classroom level over the summer, for the most part, the principals of the county’s 14 public schools are the same as last year, with one exception at the Beaufort County Ed. Tech Center.

Stepping in to fill the vacancy left by retiring principal Betty Jane Green, Victoria Hamill brings a wealth of experience, and a unique familiarity with Beaufort County Schools.

Hamill, an native of Pitt County who attended Pitt County Schools through high school, is an alumnus of East Carolina University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1993 and her Masters of School Administration in 2007.

With 21 years of experience in three counties, Onslow, Pitt and Beaufort, Hamill’s career spans three positions. She makes the step to principal after serving 11 years in the classroom, for five as a career development coordinator and five more as an assistant principal.

While Hamill may be a new face at the Ed. Tech Center, she is no stranger to Beaufort County, having spent portions of her career at each one of the County’s three traditional high schools.

“I started my career in education by completing my clinical teaching at Northside High School, taught at Washington High from 2002 to 2006 and then returned to Beaufort County at Southside High in 2016 where I remained until this summer,” Hamill wrote in an email.

As she steps into her new role as top administrator at the Ed Tech Center, Hamill says she hopes to raise awareness in the community concerning the opportunities the Center provides for its students. Hamill says that two programs in particular, along with the addition of a new K-5 classroom will help the institution live up to its mission of, “#buildingfutures because #wehaveoptions.”

“While what causes them to be here differs greatly, the potential outcomes for them are always positive,” Hamill wrote. “Our Pathways Program allows students who are behind in credits toward graduation to finish on time, the Career and College Promise program enables our students to enroll in BCCC courses to earn credit toward degrees and industry credentials while still in high school and our newest addition of a K-5 transitional class allows students at lower grades early intervention to assist in their future success.”

Hamill resides in Grimesland, along with her husband Jeffrey and her two teenage sons, Julian and John. She is an active member of Proctor Memorial Church.