Swift Creek Elementary opens; board recognizes student character winners and staff honorees

Board and district leaders marked the opening of Swift Creek Elementary and used the meeting to recognize students and staff across the district. Tammy Poland, identified in the meeting as the first principal of Swift Creek Elementary, welcomed the community and described the new building——s light-filled classrooms and shared spaces, saying the most meaningful aspect of the new school will be “the relationships that will be built here forever.” Board staff recognized six students as character-education honorees for September from multiple schools: Isabella ("Izzy") Sholar (Cleveland High, responsibility); Emily Stevenson (Cleveland Middle, compassion); Victor Kaptick (Belenta/Belenta? Elementary, integrity); Isaiah Priest (Swift Creek Elementary, perseverance); Abdallah Radad (Swift Creek Middle, perseverance); and Logan Capps (Cleveland Elementary, perseverance). The board invited parents and principals to join students at the dais for photos. The board also recognized staff: Christina Long, a Swift Creek Elementary bookkeeper, was named classified employee of the month for September; Stephanie Beasley, a health science teacher at Cleveland High School, was named certified employee of the month; and Susan Perdue, a business, finance and marketing teacher at Clayton High School, was announced as a finalist for the NCAT 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year award. An NCAT representative presented a certificate to Perdue and noted finalists will attend a professional development and interview process in December, with the winner announced in Greensboro on Dec. 4. The board recorded appreciation for staff and families and closed the recognition segment before continuing the agenda.