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Cumberland County Board of Education honors students and staff across district
Summary
At a special recognition meeting, the Cumberland County Board of Education and district leaders honored dozens of student competitors, state-level winners and educators for awards including FBLA, SkillsUSA, HOSA, TSA, National Board Certification and the RAMP school counseling designation.
Jacqueline Brown, board member at large for the Cumberland County Board of Education, opened a special recognition meeting and led the board in honoring students and staff from across the district for state and national achievements.
The meeting focused on competitive and professional recognitions from recent state and national events. Dr. Lindsay Whitley and Dr. Jane Fields, associate superintendent of school support, joined Brown in announcing winners and presenting certificates and plaques to students, teachers and staff.
Highlights announced at the meeting included top placements by Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competitors. Thirty-three students from Grays Creek High School attended the FBLA State Leadership Conference in Greensboro; Wayland Seippel placed second in the state for spreadsheet applications and will represent Grays Creek High School at the National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California, in June. Douglas Byrd High School students also registered top finishes, including first- and second-place placements in business procedures, financial math and personal finance events.
The Technology Student Association (TSA) program at Grays Creek Middle School earned multiple top-two finishes at the North Carolina TSA conference, and teams from multiple elementary and middle schools were recognized as winners in the district’s Star Wars STEM design challenge. Dr. Whitley announced that 16 student teams competed in the STEM expo earlier this year and named the judge’s choice and elementary and secondary winners from Mary McArthur Elementary School and Douglas Byrd High School.
Career and technical education successes included several Jack Britt High School students who earned first-place honors at the SkillsUSA State Conference in events such as mechatronics, crime scene investigation and photography. Abigail Wagner of Pine Forest High School placed first in criminal justice at SkillsUSA.
Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) statewide placers were recognized from Terry Sanford High School, and Pine Forest High School students recorded top finishes at the FBLA state conference, where Kenneth Vanwaye was named a Who’s Who in FBLA honoree.
District staff and educators were also honored. Walker Spivey Elementary School was named one of 190 schools nationwide to receive the RAMP (Recognized ASCA Model Program) designation for its school counseling program; the award is upheld for five years. The board recognized the district’s newest National Board–certified educators and named Ms. Sarah Zahn of Raleigh Road Elementary School as Cumberland County Schools’ 2025 School Counselor of the Year. Jacqueline Brown said, “We are so proud of your accomplishments.”
Athletic achievements were recognized as well: Jack Britt High School’s women’s wrestling team won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association women’s wrestling state championship, and several individual state champions were named and invited to the stage for recognition.
No formal board actions, votes or policy decisions were taken at the meeting; organizers said the session had been convened solely for recognition. The board closed the meeting after concluding the recognitions.
The ceremony included multiple school and program names and dozens of individual winners; presenters asked families and school staff in the audience to stand when their students or colleagues were called for photos and certificates. Dr. Jane Fields and Dr. Whitley handled presentation duties while Superintendent Dr. Connolly posed for photos with honorees as they came off stage.
