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Davie County Schools highlights summer programs, FFA state wins and new pre-apprenticeships
Summary
Board recognized finance staff and teachers and heard presentations on summer camps, FFA state-level achievements and the district’s first pre-apprenticeship completers; district partners include Apprenticeship North Carolina, Davie County EMS and Davidson-Davie Community College.
The Davie County Schools board recognized staff and student accomplishments and heard a multi-part presentation on summer instructional programs and work-based learning partnerships.
Finance recognition: Clay Harris and the business and finance team were honored for receiving the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The superintendent said the award recognizes transparent comprehensive financial reporting.
FFA and student competitions: Jessie Ledbetter, an agriculture teacher, told the board that Davie County High School’s FFA chapter had its most successful year in recent memory, with more than 75 students participating in dairy and livestock projects, the chapter harvesting more than 300 pounds of honey, and the chapter earning a three-star national chapter award. Ledbetter said the dairy judging team placed first in the state and will represent North Carolina at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October. "This marks the first time any Davie County FFA team has advanced to compete at a national level," she said.
Pre-apprenticeships and internships: Elise Wooldridge and Linda Robinson described the district’s first pre-apprenticeship completions through Apprenticeship North Carolina and Davidson-Davie Community College (DDCC). The district had four students complete pre-apprenticeships during the 2024–25 school year — three in early childhood education (Stella Fry, Alice Rucker and one student not in attendance) and one in an Emergency Medical Technician pre-apprenticeship (Katie Lewis), who is now employed by Davie County EMS and pursuing paramedic education. The presenters said the district is now an employer for apprenticeship placements through DDCC and is exploring additional pre-apprenticeship options, including transportation and fire services.
Summer instructional programs and internships: Staff reported several summer educational programs — Read to Achieve, Camp Discovery (AIG/STEM) for rising fifth and sixth graders, STEAM boot camp for rising ninth graders, exceptional-children camps and six school-based kinder camps. Program coordinators gave participation figures: 38 staff served 157 students across the main summer programs; kinder camps reached about 142 students with two to three staff per site. The district reported summer internship placements (students completing about 135 hours in some placements), continuing employer partnerships (examples cited: Ashley Furniture automation lab and local employers) and donor support from local foundations for some camps.
Math teacher recognition: The board recognized Dawn Lowry, a sixth-grade mathematics teacher at North Davie Middle School, as the district’s nominee for the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics district-level recognition; Lowry will be recognized at the state conference in November.
Why it matters: Presentations showed continued investment in career pathways, summer learning and hands-on experiences for students, plus community partnerships that support internships and apprenticeships.
Ending: The board thanked teachers, coaches and community partners for work on summer programs and learning supports; no formal board action was required for recognitions and program reports.
