Superintendent / Interim Superintendent's Message

A Message from Interim Superintendent, Brian Schultz

April 27, 2021

Congratulations to our 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year Ashtyn Berry! We surprised Ms. Berry with the exciting news on April 20^th in her classroom. Congratulations also to our other Teacher of the Year Finalists: Jennifer Birkemeier, Harrisburg Elementary School; Melissa Capets, Wolf Meadow Elementary School; Alice Graham, Concord Middle School; Amy Hicks, Central Cabarrus High School; and Tabitha Paisley, Beverly Hills Elementary School.

Our Teacher of the Year celebration would not be possible without the generous support of our outstanding community partners, so I want to say a special ‘thank you’ to each of our sponsors:

Golden Apple Sponsors

Cabarrus County Education Foundation

Concord Mills

Equitable

Greater Charlotte Automobile Dealers Association

Hendrick Auto Mall Concord Mills

Mariam & Robert Hayes Charitable Trust

Publix Super Markets Charities

Silver Apple Sponsors

Metrolina Greenhouses

Modern Nissan of Concord

Bronze Apple Sponsors

Cabarrus Arts Council

Cabarrus Auto Imports

Gem Theatre

Keller Williams Realty: Penny Carter

I was honored to be able to present the Teacher of the Year and the finalist plaques in-person. Ms. Berry’s family, friends, students, and colleagues were able to view the surprise either in-person or virtually. It was particularly touching that her family and her former teachers were able to celebrate the occasion in real-time. There is no doubt that she has been heavily influenced by the educators in her life and knows firsthand the positive impact of great educators. It was great to present the plaques to all of the finalists at their schools with their supportive principals by their sides. I was so impressed with the gratitude of the teachers and their willingness and desire to serve their students and school community in such a supportive and uplifting manner.

Prior to stepping into this role, a considerable portion of my work as Deputy Superintendent revolved around the middle school realignment in preparation for the opening of Roberta Road Middle School in August 2022. I am grateful to our dedicated staff of experts who have developed a recommendation based on their expertise and hundreds of feedback suggestions from our community. The recommendation made to our Board of Education is reflective of the following criteria: impact on students, utilization, feeder patterns, demographics, transportation, and future growth. As we live in one of the fastest growing regions in the country, it is important to consider these criteria in order to reduce the number of future realignments, limiting the impact on students, and having schools that provide choice and reflect the diversity of our wonderful community. The Internal Planning Team recommendation reduces many of our most crowded schools in the fastest growing areas while limiting the impact on our students and families. For more information regarding the middle school realignment process, please visit www.ccsrealignment.com.

Our partners at Cabarrus Health Alliance will host COVID Vaccine Clinics at West Cabarrus High School in May and June. These clinics are open to the public. As a reminder, anyone 16 years old or older is now eligible to receive the vaccine. You can get details about the clinic dates, times and register by accessing the information posted here on our website.

We are inching closer and closer to the end of the school year, and I know that the challenges and difficulties this year have made us all weary. I encourage you, as parents and caregivers, to do all that you can to keep your students focused and on task. Let’s all push through the pandemic fatigue and press on to finish the year strong.

In partnership,

Brian

Brian Schultz

Interim Superintendent