Meet Cumberland County's 2024 teachers and principals of the year
Educators Steven Barbour, Erica Fenner-McAdoo, Kristle Rouse and Sade' Mangum will have additional titles heading into this school year.
During the district’s convocation on Aug. 15 at the Crown Coliseum, Barbour, of Terry Sanford High School, was named Cumberland County Schools Teacher of the Year; Fenner-McAdoo, of Howard Hall Elementary, was named Principal of the Year; Rouse, of Westover High School, was named Assistant Principal of the Year; and Mangum, of Seventy-First High School, was named Beginner Teacher of the Year.
Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. described each winner as a “premier professional” who is a champion of education and advocate for students.
“In CCS, we prioritize retaining exceptional talent and are proud to support the professional development of every employee,” Connelly said in a news release. “This celebration and these ‘Of The Year’ winners highlight how our teachers and administrators are skilled, caring, dedicated and united for student success.”
Teacher of the Year
Terry Sanford High School Principal Catherine Abraham-Johnson described Barbour in the news release as “an outstanding educator, coach, mentor and overall wonderful person who exemplifies distinguished leadership in the teaching profession."
Barbour is a Cumberland County native who graduated from Southview High School in 1989, followed by college in Washington, D.C.
He started his educational career in 1996 and joined Cumberland County Schools in 2000. He earned his master’s degree in social studies education from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2009.
Barbour said by phone Friday that education is in his “DNA," because his parents and grandfather were in the education field.
“It took me to be 28 to admit what I wanted to do was what my family did for a living,” he said.
He said he first made it back to his high school alma mater as a teacher 15 years after graduation, with the encouragement of a former biology teacher who was assistant superintendent for resources at the time.
After leaving Southview to teach at another district, he returned to Cumberland County Schools as a Terry Sanford High School teacher, where for the past six years he's taught advanced placement world history, honors world history and a third course he said, “that teaches the foundations and knowledge of honors.”
The latter course, Barbour said, covers multiple subjects and allows him to be imaginative while promoting student engagement and encouraging students to aim for higher academic learning past high school.
As a way to increase student engagement and celebrate student and alumni accomplishments, Barbour also began what is now an annual photography exhibition in honor of war photographer Chris Hondros. Hondros, a Terry Sanford High School alumnus, worked at The Fayetteville Observer in the 1990s and was a war photographer with Getty Images when he was killed in 2011 while covering the violence in Libya.
Barbour also serves as the head coach for the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Barbour said regardless of what course he’s teaching, he hopes his students walk out of the class with a “better understanding of themselves and a better understanding of how the world works.”
“It’s an ongoing process,” he said. “It’s not just about facts and dates. It’s about how students interact with the world and who they are. I try to design lessons that encourage them to examine within themselves their relationship with the world around them.”
When he was named Teacher of the Year last week, Barbour said it felt like “two experiences in one,” from being on stage in front of 6,000 people and hearing his Terry Sanford colleagues cheer for him to being embraced by the audience.
“It felt great and amazing to have affirmation and love from my colleagues,” he said. “I’m humbled and appreciative. Moving forward into this next year, I just fully appreciate what this award means to the staff at Terry Sanford, and I want to represent them and Cumberland County well and live up to their expectations.”
As the countywide winner, Barbour will advance to compete for the regional title.
He said that while soccer season has already kicked off, he’s looking forward to another year of mentoring younger teachers and mapping out lesson plans.
“I love teaching,” he said. “I love the 90 minutes I get to spend with students. I’ve coached during two different parts of my career, at the beginning and now toward the end. I wanted to bookend it with time to devote to my three children. Kids are a big motivator for me, and my family inspires me to be the best I can be. I always wanted to teach and be a dad in the same building and wanted my kids to be proud of their pops. I try to draw inspiration from as many places as I can.”
The first runner-up for the title was David Gilchrist, from John Griffin Middle School; second runner-up was Katheryn "Kathy" Lee, from Cape Fear High School.
Principal of the Year
Fenner-McAdoo graduated from North Carolina A&T University in 2002 and started out as a pre-kindergarten teacher in Guilford County before coming to Cumberland County in 2004 as a pre-kindergarten teacher.
In 2007, she enrolled in a principal fellowship program at Fayetteville State University where she earned her master’s of school administration in 2009 and became an assistant principal.
In 2014, she was principal at Walker-Spivey Elementary School and became principal at Howard Hall Elementary in 2017.
“I just have always loved working with children,” Fenner-McAdoo said during a phone interview Friday. “My mom was a teacher and built me a playhouse in the backyard. I made that my classroom with my baby dolls as students. I was a teacher. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t. Even though my mom retired as a social worker, my sister and I followed in her footsteps. It’s in my blood.”
Fenner-McAdoo said during Tuesday’s convocation that she didn’t process hearing her name at first and “just stood there,” until hearing the crowd “going wild.”
“I looked at them and looked at Dr. Connelly who smiled, and the tears started flowing,” she said. “I’m so humble and grateful. It almost didn’t feel real.”
Fenner-McAdoo said this was her fifth time being nominated, meaning that each year her colleagues have nominated “and continuously believed” in her.
“Now, I have an obligation to represent them well, and I plan on doing that,” she said.
Fenner-McAdoo said her love for school has kept her in the education field for two decades.
“I was raised in Cumberland County Schools, “she said. “I went to elementary at Montclair Elementary and still remember my teacher. I’ve had teachers contact me to say they’re proud. I loved going to school and had teachers who made it fun. That’s what I wanted to do for my students.”
Fenner-McAdoo said her decision to transition from the classroom to an administrative role is another reason why she’s remained.
When she was a teacher at Mae Rudd Elementary School, she said, Brenda Minor was principal at the time, and that Minor was also principal at Lillian Black Elementary when she transitioned there after Fenner-MacAdoo's sister became principal at Mae Rudd.
“And Brenda Minor started talking to me and told me how she saw leadership in my future and encouraged me and got me interested to start the North Carolina Principal Fellowship Program,” Fenner-McAdoo said. “I now see potential in my teachers to advance in the field, and I don’t want to see them walk away before they advance. I stay to be their cheerleader and create an environment so they can grow professionally.”
Fenner-McAdoo said that while she’s not in the classroom, she still interacts with students and tells them she’s their biggest fan. She also mentors students and started a program at Howard Hall Elementary School the past year known as McAdoo’s Leading Ladies.
The program focuses on teaching girls about self-esteem, peer pressure, bullying, maintaining grades, healthy eating, physical activity and taking care of themselves.
“We had queens come in at the end of the program and crown them,” Fenner-McAdoo said. “I hope they remember they can do anything they want in life as long as they stay focused and just be a good example.”
Fenner-McAdoo said heading into a new school year she is excited, and students can expect new staff.
The school is a Spanish Immersion School, meaning that Spanish-speaking teachers leave after 4-5 years, and Fenner-McAdoo said there are also international teachers who rotate in and out.
“I want this to be an exemplary year and for students and parents to feel good walking into Howard Hall Elementary,” she said. “The buzz is going on. Being named Principal of the Year was a morale booster, so we’re excited.”
Fenner-McAdoo will go on to compete for the Sandhills Regional Principal of the Year title.
2024 Assistant Principal of the Year
Rouse started at Cumberland County Schools in 2013 at A.B. Wilkins High School, according to a district news release.
In 2018, she earned her master’s degree in school administration from Grand Canyon University.
“I believe it is important for leaders to be continuous, life-long learners,” Rouse said in her nomination portfolio. “Education is always evolving and, as instructional leaders, we have to be well-versed in educational trends.”
2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year
Mangum “took risks in her classroom and was not afraid to allow her students to engage in rich discourse and allowed her scholars to discover their individual strengths through exploration” during the past year, Seventy-First High School Principal Niesha Witherspoon said in the news release.
“She has definitely demonstrated her ability to make connections with scholars in and outside the classroom,” Witherspoon said.
Mangrum will advance to compete in the statewide North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching 2023-2024 Beginning Teacher of the Year Award.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County Schools names teachers and principals of the year
