From Beaufort County Schools

The top teachers and administrators within Beaufort County Schools were honored Thursday night during the annual Teacher-of-the-Year and Principal-of-the-Year celebration held at the Beaufort County Ed Tech Center.

Melissa Boyd from Bath Elementary School took top honors as the Teacher of the Year. For the past three years she has taught science for grades seven and eight and has been teaching for 12 years.

Brian Swain, principal of Bath Elementary School, described Boyd: “She is a very well-organized teacher with great classroom management skills. She has a very calm teaching style and makes learning science concepts interesting for her students. A teacher that you can count on to get the job done and is very accommodating to her students.”

The 2003 East Carolina University graduate attained a Master of Arts in education in 2010.

Lauren Buck, a reading recovery teacher and early literacy specialist at Chocowinity Primary School, was named runner-up in this year’s competition. Buck has been teaching for a decade, and five years in this position. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education as well as a Master of Arts in reading education, both from East Carolina University.

Veteran administrator Charles Clark, principal at Northside High School, took top honors among administrators.

“I am excited to see Charles Clark named Principal of the Year for Beaufort County Schools,” said Dr. Don Phipps, superintendent. “It is wonderful to see a product of Beaufort County Schools deemed top administrator.”

“Charles is a solid administrator who brings a wealth of experience to the job. But most importantly he brings a strong desire to always do the best thing for his students. He continually strives to improve and is always open for feedback, which are signs of a true professional. He is a great ambassador for our district,” Phipps said.

Clark joined the district in August of 1997 as a math teacher at Chocowinity High School. He began his administrative career as assistant principal at P. S. Jones Middle School in July of 2002. He took the reins at Northside High School in November 2011.

Clark is a graduate of UNC-Charlotte and completed his advanced degree from East Carolina University in 2008.

Each principal must serve at his/her current campus a minimum of two years to be eligible.

The staff of each eligible administrator is given the opportunity to weigh in on the final scores.

Alicia Vosburgh, principal at Chocowinity Primary School, was named runner-up for the Principal of the Year race.

Boyd and Clark will go on to the regional competitions in their areas.