'The Magic Touch': 95-year-old Grandma Magnolia Connects with CREC Kids | NHCS Insight: Enrollment FAQs with Susan Henry and Strategic Plan with Josh Smith | Williston Legacy Graduation | NHCS Literacy: Preparing Students for the EOG | Save the Date: CTE Fair on Friday, March 31 | Summer Institute Scheduled for June 14 | Technology Staff Recognized | Batten to Participate in Early Childhood Academy | SECU Scholarship Winners Announced | March Board of Ed Recognitions | Battle of the Books | Hoggard Students Raise $12k for Teen Mental Health | Sign Up for the NHCS Wellness Challenge | NHCS Band students selected for the NC All-State Band | Elementary Science Olympiad
'The Magic Touch': 95-year-old Grandma Magnolia Connects with CREC Kids
On the playground at the College Road Early Childhood Center, two friends bracket a little boy with a skinned knee as he hobbles over to Magnolia McLean, or “Grandma Magnolia” as the kids there call her.
A teacher has already cleaned up his little wound and offered a band-aid, which he declined.
He still wants Grandma Magnolia to take a look at it. He wants to be seen.
She hugs his shoulder, gives him a few loving words, and pats his back to send him on back to his friends.
“He’s alright,” she says with a laugh, “he just had to get a second opinion.”
Grandma Magnolia and the students she volunteers with through the New Hanover County Foster Grandparents Program are at the opposite bookends of life: They are four; she recently turned 95.
But they share a connection that defies the nine decades of life experience between them.
“When I’m here, I just usually do what they do,” she explained. “They sit down, I sit down. They go outside, I go with them. They had me hula-hooping the other day. I said Woooo!”
Her doctor worries about her falling. “I don’t fall because I watch myself,” she told him.
Her daughter knew better than to try to tell her to slow down. “Mama, you always did whatever you was going to do,” she told her.
Her family calls her the roadrunner because she just. keeps. going.
“I'm the only one in my generation that’s alive,” she said, “so I just try to stay busy.”
Grandma Magnolia has always been one to keep it moving. When she was widowed with eight kids, she thought about closing the daycare center she had been running with her husband.
He had been doing the cooking for the center, and she just couldn’t see how she could do it all on her own.
But instead of giving up, she doubled down. At 45 she decided to go back to school to get her high school diploma.
She then attended Cape Fear Community College and Miller Motte to get a childcare degree and learn business accounting and payroll.
Finally she bought a preschool center of her own, and made it the first integrated preschool in New Hanover County.
It wasn’t an easy thing to do, necessarily, but it was an easy decision to make, she said.
“Some of the schools didn’t accept Black children then. I feel like all children are the same,” she said, adding, “all people are the same.”
Eventually she became a sort of childcare titan in Wilmington, owning and operating four centers, mentoring other women who wanted to start similar businesses, and taking in countless young teen mothers who needed to learn how to care for their babies — and themselves.
She’s retired twice — but, you know, roadrunners don’t retire.
Now she spends every morning with the preschoolers at CREC, and the rest of the day working at the childcare center at the YWCA up the road.
“I found that when I have two or three days off and I don’t do anything, I don’t feel good. I’ll just sit around and mope around, and by 4:00 I’m still moping around,” she laughed.
But it’s more than just keeping busy; after 60 years helping to educate young minds, being by preschoolers' sides as they learn still inspires her.
“You know, they know a whole lot more than we think they do. You learn from them and I love it,” she said. “Just give them a little time to think. Let them have a mind.”
Her approach leans on patience, positivity, love, and respect.
“One of the reasons I like my chair is I don’t like to look down on them. I like to get on their level and then we can talk, and they understand you better when you talk to them, not at them.”
The Foster Grandparent program pairs community elders who have patience, wisdom, and love to spare with young students who might be antsy in the classroom, or struggling with a subject, or hurting at home.
“The foster grandparents fill in the gap,” said Vicki Wells, the program coordinator at the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center. “They make sure that everybody is able to meet their emotional goals and their academic goals, and nobody's left on the sidelines.”
The program also gives seniors who yearn to contribute to the community the chance to give back, she said.
“A lot of them do it solely for the satisfaction of knowing that they're helping the child,” she said. “Those who might be isolated can interact with children and pour some of their wisdom and knowledge into them.”
Ninety-five years ago, Grandma Magnolia was born on a South Carolina cotton farm, in a Jim Crow world, to a dad who taught in a one-room schoolhouse.
Her hands that picked cotton as a girl, and washed thousands of cloth diapers and held hundreds of little ones in her career, now have painful nerve damage that forces her to wear special gloves.
If she has a day off, her daughter says, she calls to complain about her hands hurting.
When she’s working with the children, the phone doesn’t ring.
Those same hands are busy pointing out how nicely one student wrote his name, or steadying a child walking the playground balance beam, or rubbing the back or holding the hand of a child needing comfort and connection.
For some of the kids, the teachers say, a day when Grandma Magnolia is there is a day they get along, work hard, don’t cut up, experience more joy.
“I’ll just say, ‘Listen, we’re gonna be good today. We’re gonna do this, we’re not gonna do that,’” and when the behavior stops, the teacher will look at her and marvel, “The magic touch!”
“I hadn’t paid any attention,” she said, “but they said just being here makes a difference.”
Do you know someone who would be a good fit for the Foster Grandparent program? Reach out to Vicki Wells at (910) 798-6408 or email vwteachy@nhcgov.com.
NHCS Insight
Enrollment FAQs with Susan Henry
Chief Communications Officer Josh Smith Discusses Strategic Plan
Williston Legacy Graduation
NHCS, the City of Wilmington, and New Hanover County are partnering to host a legacy graduation ceremony for Williston Senior High School classes of 1969 and 1970 on July 1, 2023.
The ceremony will be held at the Williston Middle School Gymnasium. It is an opportunity for those alumni to participate in a graduation ceremony that was denied to them over 55 years ago, when the school district closed the historically-Black school rather than integrate it.
Stay tuned for more information about how to participate in this momentous occasion! Learn more at our Williston Legacy Graduation site.
NHCS Literacy: Preparing Students for the EOG
Save the Date: CTE Fair on Friday, March 31
Summer Institute Scheduled for June 14
New Hanover County Schools offers professional growth opportunities for all staff during our Summer Institute. This is a full day of learning focused on innovative instructional strategies that integrate wellness, social and emotional learning, leadership development, digital teaching and learning as well as using technology tools to improve your workload.
All staff are invited to attend this event. This year's Summer Institute will be held at Roland Grise Middle School from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm ending with a fun social and networking time. We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Technology Staff Recognized
Submitted by Amy York with the NHCS Technology Division
Have you met the superstars of the New Hanover County Schools AV Team? They're none other than William (Terry) Schlipp and Wayne Chamberlain and they have decades of experience in electronics repair.
Terry Schlipp has been keeping our equipment in tip-top shape for the past six years. He has a passion for building electronic circuits, and it shows in the innovative troubleshooting techniques he uses to bring seemingly useless equipment back to life. In his free time, he not only enjoys reading scripture, but also creating with Autodesk’s Fusion 360, 3D printing, and laser and wood CNC work. And let me tell you, his designs are so cool, some of them take pride of place on my own desk!
Wayne Chamberlain is another one of our resident repair gurus, with 18 years at NHCS and 44 years of experience under his belt. He learned electronics repair during his time in the Royal Navy, where he fixed radar, sonar, and radio equipment. And now he's using those skills to make sure our equipment is running like a well-oiled machine. And let's not forget, this guy's got some serious talent when it comes to building scale models. We've seen them, and they're amazing!
Terry and Wayne are the dynamic duo that make up the AV team. They're responsible for keeping every piece of A/V equipment in every classroom in the New Hanover County School system running smoothly.
That's no easy feat, but these guys are up to the challenge. They troubleshoot cabling and wall plate issues, configure Recordex and Newline interactive panels, repair document cameras, projectors, iPads, laminators, and so much more. With Terry and Wayne on the job, we can all rest easy knowing our A/V equipment is in good hands!
Batten to Participate in Early Childhood Academy
Debbie Batten, a three-year-old Pre-K teacher at the Career Readiness Academy at Mosley, has been selected to participate in the Early Childhood Educator Advocacy Academy. "I am excited, because I do want to learn more about how I can advocate for our families and children," she said.
The academy received more than 400 applications for the 125 seats available. It will consist of three different trainings that will take place this spring.
SECU Scholarship Winners Announced
SECU Foundation established the People Helping People four-year scholarship program to help North Carolina public high school students attend college. This scholarship is worth $10,000 payable at $1,250 for up to eight consecutive semesters.
SECU Foundation takes an active role in assisting communities across North Carolina and truly believes in “People Helping People.”
Although the SECU Foundation Scholarship program recognizes academic achievement, the People Helping People Scholarship has a broader purpose: recognizing leadership, integrity and community involvement.
Congratulations to our NHCS SECU Scholarship Winners:
- Grayce Jeter – Ashley High School
- Margaret Mead – Hoggard High School
- Macy Killian – Isaac Bear Early College
- Hailey Russell – Laney High School
- Deniya Evans – Wilmington Early College
- Ella Yohe – Hoggard High School
- Rayna Graham – New Hanover High School
March Board of Ed Recognitions
Kim Losito graduated from the North Carolina Association of School Business Officers (NCASBO) Academy earning a School Business Manager certification.
Leah Delange (Ashley) and Sofie Dikkers (Hoggard) will attend the UNC Catalyst Conference to develop leadership skills and awareness of issues impacting today's society.
The following students will be attending the HOBY Leadership Seminar at NCSU in June to develop their critical thinking and leadership skills: Caitlyn Foy (Ashley), Lynkon Woodell (Ashley), Krish Mishra (Hoggard), Aparna Dhulipala (Hoggard).
The Roland-Grise Middle School Black History Bowl team won its second championship, showing the importance of celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity in our society.
The NHCS Communications & Outreach team took home 30 awards at the North Carolina School Public Relations Association awards ceremony and the most gold awards of any district in the state. Team members are: Christina Beam, Caress Clegg, Russell Clark, Anita Baggie, Chase Fulton, Kevin Hubbard, Caleb Price, and Josh Smith.
44 teachers successfully achieved National Board Certification, the highest recognition as a teacher.
Laney Athletic Trainer Kristen Thacker was recognized for her heroic actions in saving a life at a sporting event. Her quick thinking and decisive action helped to prevent a tragedy and demonstrated the importance of first aid and CPR training.
The Laney High School wrestling team won its third consecutive state title and its coach Andre Adams was again named North Carolina Wrestling Association Coach of the Year.
Battle of the Books
Battle of the Books, where one's love of literacy and competition meet! Congratulations to the champions at Hubert A. Eaton Sr. Elementary School.
Hoggard Students Raise $12k for Teen Mental Health
Hoggard High School tennis doubles partners Kristiahn Foster and Helen Bennington organized a tennis tournament to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness. On Friday they presented their $12,500 check to Doug Engleman of NAMI Wilmington along with CAS Advisor Mary McKinley.
To read more about these students' passion for teen mental health, check out their story on WECT here.
Sign Up for the NHCS Wellness Challenge
Start your spring off right with the NHCS Wellness Challenge that begins March 17. Walk, run, bike, swim, hike as you complete a virtual 80-mile loop around New Hanover County. You have 50 days to complete the challenge, or challenge yourself even further to complete multiple loops around the county.
Log your miles daily and track your progress in real-time on our New Hanover County Map and compare your progress with other New Hanover County staff members on our leaderboard.
Registration includes:
- T-shirt (delivered to your school)
- Motivation from your fellow challengers
- Digital Bib
- Live map tracking to keep you on track and moving forward
- Live Leaderboard
NHCS Band students selected for the NC All-State Band
Two students from New Hanover County were selected from their audition this past Saturday for the NC All-State Band. We are extremely proud of all the students who auditioned and know they have grown so much from the experience. Students are Miranda Pellicie from Laney HS (teacher, Rob Pearson) and Hunter Black from Trask MS (teacher, Casey Black). They will perform at the All-State Band Clinic and concert April 28-30 at UNC-Greensboro.
Elementary Science Olympiad
The 2023 New Hanover Science Olympiad Division A Tournament was recently held on the campus of Ashley High School. More than 230 New Hanover County elementary students from 11 schools participated, including:
- Carolina Beach Elementary
- Castle Hayne Elementary
- College Park Elementary
- Edwin A. Anderson Elementary
- Friends School of Wilmington
- International School at Gregory
- John J. Blair Elementary
- Murrayville Elementary
- Pine Valley Elementary
- Winter Park Elementary
- Wrightsville Beach Elementary