Cumberland County Schools honors students, staff and Superintendent Dr. Connolly ahead of his June 30 retirement

The Cumberland County Board of Education opened its June 16 meeting with multiple recognitions for students, staff and community partners and heard a final superintendent update from Dr. Connolly, who said his retirement is effective June 30, 2025.

Board members presented certificates and plaques to student athletes and academic teams from across the district, including individual state champions and teams from Terry Sanford High School, Douglas Byrd High School, E.E. Smith High School and others. The Cumberland County Association of Principals and Assistant Principals presented the Bridal Edkins Memorial Scholarship: the association awarded $1,000 scholarships to 17 graduating seniors (one per high school), an increase from $750 enabled by support from the company ESS, the association said.

During his remarks, Superintendent Dr. Connolly reflected on seven milestones from his seven-year tenure and listed district accomplishments including pandemic response, narrowing the number of schools on the state’s “not performing” list, Purple Star recognition for military-family support, and being named among Forbes magazine’s best employers in North Carolina (as reported in his update). He noted districtwide student outcomes and scholarship totals reported for multiple high schools (for example: Cumberland International reported a student graduating with 81 college credits and the class earning more than $4,800,000 in scholarships; Cross Creek reported more than $6,300,000 in scholarships; Jack Britt reported more than $4,500,000 in scholarships). The figures were presented in the superintendent’s update and the meeting video.

Dr. Connolly addressed graduates directly and said, “I love all of you,” and thanked the community for the opportunity to serve. The transcript records the superintendent calling graduation “the memory I always carry” and noting more than 21,000 students served over his tenure. Colleagues and local partners presented tokens of appreciation during the meeting; board members and community representatives offered thank-you remarks and congratulations.

The board also recognized multiple district staff members as “premier professionals” for behind-the-scenes work supporting operations and events. The list of individual honorees called at the meeting included employees such as Linda Caesar, Deborah Perry, Darryl Henry Sr., Derek Hodges, Pam Gallimore and others; the chamber of recognitions included presentations by board chair Deanna Jones and vice chair Judith Musgrave.

No formal board action tied to the recognitions or the superintendent’s retirement was recorded in the meeting minutes excerpt beyond the ceremonial presentations and the superintendent’s spoken farewell. Any transition planning or personnel changes related to the superintendent’s retirement will follow district procedures and any separate agenda items the board schedules for that purpose.