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Board honors Challenger High SkillsUSA national champions, names Lyle Creek media center for Leslie Barnett
Summary
The board recognized Challenger High School's SkillsUSA national champions and employees of the month, and approved naming a school media center for Dr. Leslie Barnett and a planned renaming of another facility to North Star Academy.
At its Oct. 27 meeting the Catawba County Board of Education recognized student and staff achievements and accepted community suggestions to honor a retired educator.
Dr. Matthew Stover invited board members and Dr. McCreary to the front to present awards to Challenger High School students and their coaches for successes at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. The Challenger chapter earned 'outstanding chapter' nationally and multiple students placed in entrepreneurship categories. Stover and presenters from Catawba Valley Community College thanked coaches Allison Stone, Tammy Mueller and Christy Lafievers.
The board also recognized three employees of the month: Heather Kelly (assistant principal, Mill Creek Middle School), Annette Moss (school counselor, Tava Roosevelt Education Center) and Heather Thomas (receptionist, Startown Elementary), citing leadership, student support and community engagement.
During public comment, retirees and former colleagues urged the board to honor the late Dr. Leslie Honeycutt Barnett for decades of service to the district. Lyle Creek presented a recommendation to name its media center after Dr. Barnett; the board accepted that recommendation by motion.
Separately, the district presented a plan to relocate and rename an East Campus facility (referred to in the meeting as both 'Catawba Rosenwald' and 'Catawba Roosevelt' in different segments) and to adopt 'North Star Academy' as the new name with a phoenix mascot; the board approved the renaming and the mascot plan, noting the launch will follow the district’s building plan timeline.
The board applauded the awardees and adjourned after routine business.
