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Hoke County highlights esports, library clubs and literacy efforts; anime club wins $4,000 donation

Hoke County Board of Education · February 10, 2026

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Summary

Board celebrated student clubs and community literacy programs: Hoke County High School's anime club received a $4,000 GalaxyCon donation to send about 30 students to a convention, esports and chess teams reported tournament plans, and a volunteer group announced a family silent book club starting March 17 at Uptchurch Elementary.

Board members used a portion of the Feb. 10 meeting to spotlight student programs and community literacy initiatives.

Charmaine Gibson, media coordinator at Hoke County High School, said the library sponsors several clubs — Battle of the Books, Chess Club, the HOPE Elite Esports team and an anime club — that provide academic and social benefits, especially for military‑connected students. She said GalaxyCon donated $4,000 to the anime club to enable roughly 30 students to attend a convention in Raleigh; students will fundraise for an overnight stay.

Esports president Franz Winston described recent and planned tournaments and invited continued board support. Gibson also announced that top students from the county America250NC flag contest would advance to the state showcase and that winners’ work will be displayed on the state website.

In public comment, Cassie Margiela, president and founder of Volunteer Village Company, described a proposed family silent book club to engage K–5 families in monthly reading sessions; the first session is scheduled for March 17 at Uptchurch Elementary School Library from 5:30–7:00 p.m. She said the program will include literacy lessons, childcare and translators for ESL/ELL families.

Outcome: the board recognized student accomplishments, noted community partnerships (including a $40,000 transportation partnership with Sandhills Community College mentioned in the superintendent’s report), and received requests to help publicize the family silent book club. No specific funding decisions for these programs were made at the meeting.