Thompson’s promotion to assistant superintendent triggers principal shuffle

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     As Columbus County Schools’ Assistant Superintendent Jesse E. “Eddie” Beck, II prepared to become Superintendent next week, the naming of his successor has set off a principal shuffle directly, and indirectly impacting some of the district’s southern schools.

     In personnel actions approved by the county Board of Education last week South Columbus High Principal Adam Thompson will become assistant superintendent effective July 1, with current West Columbus School principal Kelly Beck transferring to South Columbus High.

     Beck’s post at West Columbus will be filled by Peggy Hester, currently principal at West Bladen High School in Bladen County.

     Michelle Simmons, a current SCHS assistant principal, will become principal at Williams Township School for the new fiscal year, replacing Wendell Duncan, who is retiring.

     Williams Township assistant principal Shelly Cullipher is taking the principal’s post at Nakina Middle School.

Thompson: bitter-sweet

     Thompson, principal at South Columbus since 2016, said leaving the school stirs some emotion.

     “It’s bitter-sweet,” Thompson said. “It will definitely be a new chapter, and a new challenge.”

     A Williams Township area native and resident, Thompson said his new job will add just a bit to his commute.

     “It’s about another ten minute drive.”

     A 1995 graduate of Waccamaw Academy, Thompson spent all but his high school senior year at Williams Township School. After earning his teaching degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, he went to work for the Columbus County Schools, where he’s spent his entire career.

     “I started at Williams Township,” Thompson said. “Then I taught at South Columbus, I was assistant principal at Williams Township, then principal at Hallsboro for six years before coming back to South Columbus.”

     Thompson credits the influence of his parents, Danny and Gay Thompson, for his career.

     “My mom and dad’s value of education is why I’m where I’m at,” Thompson said. “They made sure education was first, even above sports.”

     He also credited a series of mentors, educators including Rob Allen, Dr. Danny McPherson, Mitch Nance, and Jeff Spivey.

     “I think the biggest thing in education is to educate the total child,” he said. “Educating a well-rounded individual, to prepare them for success, for college, the work force, or the military.”

     While Thompson said he will miss South Columbus, he believes the school will be in good hands.

     “I think Mrs. Beck is going to do a fantastic job,” Beck said. “She and I have known each other a long time. I think she will bring some new attitude and some new light to the school.”

Beck: Full circle

     Much of Beck’s teaching career has involved homecomings, she said as she prepares for the move to South Columbus.

     “In a full-circle moment for me, my new role as principal of South Columbus High School will signify a personal milestone,” Beck said. “Once I begin this role July 1, I will have led all the schools that I once attended as a child.

     “This will be both an honor and a core memory that I will never forget on my educational journey in leadership.”

     Before taking the helm at West Columbus School, Beck was Principal at Tabor City Elementary, where she was educated before high school. She graduates from South Columbus in 1997.

     She worked for Optometrist Dr. Tracy Ray in Loris, then for BB&T after high school. But she had dreamed of a career in education since she was a child, and eventually earned degrees from East Carolina University that allowed her to come home in 2007 and to begin teaching third grade at Tabor City Elementary.

     She is married to Eddie Beck, who will become superintendent the same day she takes the helm at South Columbus. Because of that potential for conflict of interest, the school board has moved direct supervision of principal’s to the assistant superintendent, Thompson starting next week.

     “Mrs. Beck is thrilled to join the South Columbus High School community,” a CCS news release said. “She is eager to form strong relationships with students, parents, and staff, recognizing that these connections are foundational to building a successful, prideful, and vibrant school culture. She believes that fostering a sense of belonging and support is crucial for the academic and personal growth of every student.

     “As the new principal, Mrs. Beck is committed to celebrating academic achievements, promoting the success of all departments, and championing athletics. Her open-door policy will ensure that the voices of parents, students, and staff are heard and valued. Together, the SCHS community will strive to move from good to great, creating an environment where students thrive and feel at home.”

Simmons: ‘Ready for a change’

     “I never had a desire to be a principal of a school,” Simmons said. “But about July of last year I started feeling like I wanted to do something different.

     “At 30 years in education, I could retire this year. But I’m not ready for that, I feel like I still have some work to do. I can have an impact on kids. So, I started thinking that it’s time.”

     A “military child,” Simmons was born in Charleston and spent most of her young life “all up and down the east coast” as her father served at US Navy bases along the Atlantic.

     Her father, New Horizon Church pastor Tom Ward, retired from the Navy in time to return to Columbus County, and for Michelle to graduate from Williams Township School in 1984.

     “We came here right out of Washington, DC,” Simmons said. “Talk about culture shock.”

     Still, she has settled into small town living. She’s married to Richard Simmons, a retired cabinet maker who now works as a traveling safety coordinator, and their home in the Mollie Community is between the childhood homes of her parents, Tom and Judy Ward.

     Simmons earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and holds a Masters in Administration from the University of Cincinnati, one of the first schools in the country to offer on-line courses that met North Carolina educational standers.

     “I started my career at Whiteville Central Middle School, I taught science and math.”

     She later taught at Whiteville High School before going to work in 2001 at South Columbus just as her son began his high school years there.

     In many ways, South Columbus is home.

     “It’s almost heart breaking to think about leaving,” Simmons said. “But I know I’ll be preparing future Stallions. I’m just excited.

     “I’m all about my community.”

     Stallion students, at least the top three classes, will experience the transition in the new school year with both a new principal and assistant, Simmons said.

     South Columbus has two assistant principals, and Kristin Sellars, in her second year on the Stallion campus, will provide some stability.

     Growing up in a military family, Simmons said, taught her the value of adapting to change, so the new year could be valuable for Stallion students.

     “Change can be really good,” Simmons said. “Sometimes our kids don’t get enough of those transitions and changes to be ready for that as they grow older.”