Faison to take Sampson MS helm
Jun. 25—A new change is coming within Clinton City Schools as Sampson Middle School will have a new face at the helm.
Tony Faison has been involved with multiple schools systems through his career and in multiple capacities. Now after serving within the CCS system for many years, he is ready to his new post — heading Sampson Middle. Faison's position as new principal follows after current principal Robert Turlington is resigning. Faison's first date is July 1.
"It is exciting," Faison stated. "I'm a little nervous of the unknown, but it's exciting. I'm looking forward to helping move the committee. We, as a school, have moved forward academically and I'm looking forward to being a part of that movement to move students even further, and to making partnerships with the community."
A love for teaching fueled Faison from the start. He knew at a young age that it was the path he wanted to follow.
"I am the son of a sharecropper from the little of Turkey and I've always known I wanted to teach, but I just didn't know what," he said. "When I graduated high school, I was sick of school, man, I didn't want to see anymore school at all. But, having to get up every day going to a factory job, not knowing what time that I was going to get off, that got old real quick and I knew that was not for me."
It was that realization that made Faison return to school, where he eventually got his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management Organizational Development and went on to land his first teaching job. It was by no means a smooth process either as his mother Nina Faison's failing health changed a few things along the way.
"I started at Sampson Community College and by me just being a graduate, what they were doing there was boring to me because I already knew how to do it," he said. "So I stayed there for a year and then transferred to Fayetteville State and I stayed there three years. Around that time though is the first time my mom got sick, so I had to come back home."
"While home, I started working in Bladen County as a teacher assistant from 1999 to 2006, but meanwhile I was still getting my degree," he said. "I was going to Mount Olive and when I graduated I landed a teaching job at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle School."
During his time at Roseboro-Salemburg he'd have an encounter with now Clinton City Schools Superintendent Dr. Wesley Johnson that furthered his teaching career.
"(He) convinced me to go back to school for my school administration," he said. "He was at Campbell University, and at that time I was unsure about going back because going there was a lot of money. But, it so happened that I did apply and I got in so he's the reason I was at Campbell."
"Meanwhile, going through the program, I landed my first job as assistant principal at Warsaw Elementary in Duplin County," he continued. "I stayed there, maybe three or four years, but I went from there to James Kenan High School. It wouldn't be until June of 2010 when I'd return home and began working in Clinton City Schools at the middle school where I am now."
"I stayed here one year and then I was moved back to high school but honestly I was trying to get away from high school," he said with laugh. "So they moved me back and I stayed there three years and, during that time, my mother's health began to fail again. I saw that she was fading."
He asked whether he could move back to the middle school.
"He did move me and then before I could get back to the middle school he retired. So for two or three years I begged to get back and finally, when my principal announced she was resigning, I asked Dr. Johnson if I could go back home. He said yes and so here I am."
Faison also mentioned that he wants parents and the community to stay tuned as he's planning a meet and greet event sometime in August so everyone can get to know their new principal.
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.
