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inside nhcs January 21, 2022

'Forever Their Angel': Remembering Bellamy Teacher Rachel Mack | School Board Appreciation Month | NHCS Recap: PTA Reflections Winners | Transfer Period Open Now | Apply for Emerging Leaders by Jan. 24 | Board of Education Updates | Inside NHCS Submissions

'Forever Their Angel': Remembering Bellamy Teacher Rachel Mack

Often the best teachers are the ones who have a routine that students can count on.

Rachel Mack was one of those teachers.

Her students could expect quiet instrumental Disney music to be playing when they arrived in the morning — “Under The Sea” or “Part of Your World” set to strings to ease them into their day.

They could expect that if they missed a day or were feeling sad, she would call or FaceTime to check in that evening, her big sparkly smile shining through the little screen.

They could expect that the high standards she set for behavior and growth applied to everyone equally.

They could expect, with her at their side, to meet them.

“There are a lot of successful students in grades three through 10 that had her as a first grade teacher, and she really set them up for that success,” said Bellamy Elementary Principal Burt Kilpatrick. “I’m not sugarcoating this — she had some kids with behavioral issues and they were doozies. But by the time they were done in her class, you would never know they started first grade under the table tearing up a coloring book.”

Mrs. Mack taught them routines and structure and the reach of their own potential.

She taught them to expect to be successful, and she led them to it.

Then the unexpected happened.

Ms. Mack died suddenly Monday. She was 34.

It’s not possible to quantify a loss like that, and the magnitude of it that ripples through her family and her colleagues and her students and their families.

It’s not possible to reach the depth of what she accomplished in her brief but impactful life.

But if you didn’t have the gift of having your life touched by Rachel Mack, here’s what those who did want you to know.

“She was the kind of teacher who was always huggin’ and lovin’ on the kids,” said Leah Southerland, her fourth grade co-teacher this year. “I always called it the ‘fairy dust.’ She was a very big nurturer. She had that magical way of reaching out to those kids who needed that extra bit of attention.”

Sometimes that magic was tangible: A classroom all pink and purple with glitter and twinkly lights, a teacher who wore a different dress every day of the year with coordinating earrings or silly themed headbands.

Sometimes that magic was more ethereal.

How did she know my daughter was struggling and needed an IEP when no one else saw that? one mom wondered.

“By getting her the help she needed, she changed my daughter’s life academically and socially. She had high standards for her kids but was always there to help them reach those standards no matter how hard or how long she had to try," she said. "She fought hard for her.”

In her nine years teaching at Bellamy, she planted deep roots with many families. Younger siblings could expect to be greeted by name by their big sister’s teacher, former students were doted on as if they had never left Ms. Mack’s sparkly, magical realm.

And, said parents who were educators themselves, she was a teacher’s teacher: Organized, consistent, a great communicator, effervescent in a way that was contagious. She had it all.

“I know what it takes to be a teacher in these times, but she took it to a whole new level,” said parent Sarah Gilbert. “She made every student feel loved, important, comfortable, and supported. She did more than teach them, she got to know them, and she developed lifelong memories with them.”

The time her kids got with Ms. Mack wasn’t enough, Gilbert said, but this week they are trying to be grateful for what they got.

On Sunday night Traci Rottmann got a text from Ms. Mack.

For three years her daughters Ava and Grace had been Ms. Mack’s students, and she had coaxed them through shyness, enlisted them to join Girls On The Run, welcomed Traci as a classroom volunteer, and inspired the girls to find their own strengths and believe in themselves.

Under Ms. Mack’s wing, Traci said, her daughters soared.

That final text said simply, I’ll keep an eye on Grace.

“I always knew my girls were in good hands with Mrs. Mack,” Traci said. “My oldest said that she wished that Mrs. Mack could bring her phone to heaven so we could keep in touch. She will forever be their angel throughout life.”

This week the district Crisis Response Team has been supporting students and staff at Bellamy, said Leah Southerland, and there have been a lot of tears. The students have planned a celebration of their teacher’s life for next week, where they will play her favorite Disney songs and each make a slide sharing what Ms. Mack meant to them.

And her classroom is just as she left it.

Behind her desk is a row of treasures students had given her. Really special rocks from the playground, little trinkets and toys, drawings and notes, gestures of the kind of love 9-year-olds have for their teacher.

Her jean jacket is still draped across the back of her chair.

The sign bearing her name hangs outside her classroom.

And everywhere, the magic — the pink and purple, the twinkly lights, the glitter.

Her students have been adamant that they don’t want anyone to touch any of that. She’s gone, but they don’t want those reminders of her to be gone, too.

What won’t fade, her classroom families said, is the way she made her students feel.

Like they mattered.

Like they were enough, just the way they were.

Like they were capable of amazing things.

Like they were deserving of all of the love and magic a teacher could summon.

“The world is a better place because she was in it, and I am honored that my kids got to see a glimpse of her amazing personality and her whole hearted love,” Sarah Gilbert said. “While I would love for them to have more time with her, I am just glad for the time they got.”

To support Rachel Mack's family during this time of loss, CLICK HERE.

School Board Appreciation Month

January is School Board Appreciation Month in North Carolina, and we wanted to take this opportunity to show our appreciation for our Board of Education members: Stephanie Kraybill, Stephanie Walker, Stefanie Adams, Pete Wildeboer, Judy Justice, Hugh McManus, and Nelson Beaulieu.

School board members play a vital role in our community and schools throughout the county. They spend countless hours of their time and talents toward the advancement of public education, they tackle the enormous job of governing our school district, and their actions and decisions affect the present and future lives of our children.

The time spent in board meetings represents just a small fraction of the hours our Board of Education spends in leading our district. Board members contribute hundreds of hours each year leading their districts through crafting policies, hiring top-notch administrators, listening to staff and student concerns, and recognizing outstanding programs, all while keeping their eyes on the goal of student achievement.

NHCS thanks our school board members for their hard work and commitment to improving outcomes for students across the county. Their service ensures that decisions about our public schools are made by those most familiar with the needs of our community’s children and families. School board members deserve recognition, appreciation, and thanks for their dedication to New Hanover County's most precious commodity – our children.

NHCS Recap: PTA Reflections Winners

Transfer Period Open Now

The Voluntary Transfer Request for 2022-2023 is now online and open. Transfer request guidelines and the Google form are located in the Staff Portal or may be accessed by using this link: https://www.nhcs.net/faculty-staff-portal/human-resources/transfer-request

Those considering a transfer should know that even if a school doesn’t currently have a vacancy, a position may become available at a later date. The employee’s name must be on the transfer list for the specific school(s) to be eligible for hire. Submitting a request, however, does not guarantee a transfer.

Eligibility requirements include:

  • Three years of employment at current school (not applicable for teacher assistants)
  • The three-year rule does not apply to employees that were involuntarily/administratively transferred for the 22-23 school year.
  • Permanent employee status (not temporary or interim)
  • Not on an Improvement Plan or scheduled to be on an Improvement Plan for next school year
  • Request is submitted before 5pm on Friday, February 18, 2022 (Board Policy 6210)

The online request system is valid only for the 2022-2023 school year. Employees selected for voluntary transfer will be notified by Human Resources of their new school assignment by June 30, 2022.

Important to Note: This process is no longer confidential as it was in years past.

Submit Your Emerging Leaders Application by Jan. 24

The Emerging Leaders program, a two-year professional development opportunity that fosters growth and leadership in classroom, teachers, is accepting applications now through January 24.

Emerging Leaders is designed to identify NHCS teacher leaders, empower them with the mindset to recognize their value, leverage their talents, and navigate diverse pathways to positively impact school and district culture.

To read more about this program and the impact it's had on past participants, check out the article in last week's Inside NHCS HERE.

For more information or to apply, CLICK HERE.

Board of Education Updates

Inside NHCS Submissions

Our staff are the heart of our district, and we know great things are happening in every division and school across the county. We want to create a space to share news and stories with one another, to cheer each other on, and to lift each other up.

You can expect a new edition of Inside NHCS every Friday, and we look forward to showcasing your great work.

If you know of someone who should be featured in Inside NHCS, please email Christina Beam at christina.beam@nhcs.net or call ext. 4109.

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