Laura Rigsbee, principal of Aycock Elementary School, right, and Marylaura McKoon, assistant principal of Zeb Vance Elementary School, hold the plaques presented to them as 2012-2013 Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year, respectively.
Laura Rigsbee, principal of Aycock Elementary School, was honored as the 2012-2013 Principal of the Year for Vance County Schools at the school system’s annual recognition banquet Thursday night, while Marylaura McKoon, assistant principal of Zeb Vance Elementary School, earned top honors as the system’s first Assistant Principal of the Year.
Rigsbee and McKoon were joined at the banquet by their friends, family members and colleagues during a lovely evening in the cafeteria at Northern Vance High School.
Rigsbee led Aycock Elementary School during the 2011-2012 school year to be designated as a North Carolina School of Distinction meeting high growth standards with 81.2 percent of students in grades 3-5 scoring at or above grade level on state end-of-grade tests. Rigsbee, along with her assistant principal, Kristen Boyd, who was nominated for the Assistant Principal of the Year award, has proven to be part of a strong and effective administrative team for Aycock. Rigsbee also was chosen as the Vance County Schools’ Principal of the Year for the 2008-2009 school year.
She was selected for this year’s honor from an outstanding group of principals, who all are proving to be successful in leading their schools. Dr. Larry Webb, principal of Eaton-Johnson Middle School, was one of the outstanding nominees. Dr. John Hargrove, who is now principal of Henderson Middle School and was principal at Clarke Elementary School last year, also was nominated. The fourth nominee for Principal of the Year was Dr. Harold Thompson Jr., who is principal of New Hope Elementary School but was the principal of Carver Elementary School last year.
Rigsbee succeeds Michael Bullard, principal of Vance County Early College High School, as the school system’s Principal of the Year.
The outstanding group of local school administrators nominated for Vance County Schools’ Assistant Principal of the Year and Principal of the Year are shown and include, from left, Willie Fuller, an assistant principal at Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Kristen Boyd, assistant principal at Aycock Elementary School, Yvette Perry, an assistant principal at Northern Vance High School; Marylaura McKoon, assistant principal at Zeb Vance Elementary School; Laura Rigsbee, principal of Aycock Elementary School; Dr. John Hargrove, principal of Henderson Middle School; Dr. Larry Webb, principal of Eaton-Johnson Middle School; and Dr. Harold Thompson Jr., principal of New Hope Elementary School. Angela Pugh, an assistant principal at Henderson Middle School, was unavailable for the photo.
In accepting her award, which included a plaque, a $1,000 check from Vance County Schools and a $500 check from the Vance County Public School Foundation, Rigsbee became emotional when she thanked her husband, her colleagues and her friends.
“I love my school,” she said. “I love my job. I am very dedicated. That’s just the way I am. I work a lot, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a great staff and great people who support me.”
McKoon joins her school’s principal, Anne Garrison, in being another successful administrative team for Zeb Vance Elementary School. For the last two years, they have led their school to designation as a North Carolina School of Progress with approximately 75 percent of students in grades 3-5 meeting or exceeding standards on state end-of-grade testing. For the 2011-2012 school year, Zeb Vance also met high growth standards.
She was selected from a group of successful assistant principals who included: Boyd; Willie Fuller, an assistant principal at Eaton-Johnson Middle School; Yvette Perry, an assistant principal at Northern Vance High School; and Angela Pugh, an assistant principal at Henderson Middle School.
During her remarks, McKoon paid special tribute to Garrison for her strong support and guidance. She also talked about the support and contributions from Zeb Vance’s strong staff. McKoon also became emotional when she thanked her two sons, who were in attendance at the banquet, for their love and support.
“The two of you push me to want the best education for all of our students,” she said. “That pushes me to work hard to try and provide our students with the best education we can give them. I know as a parent that I want the best for my sons and I know all other parents want the same for their children.”
In addition to a plaque, McKoon also received a check for $250 from Vance County Schools.
Superintendent Ronald E. Gregory presented the awards to Rigsbee and McKoon.
Wil McLean, executive director of Human Resource Management for the school system, told the audience in his comments that the special selection committee, whose members chose the two award winners, had a very difficult task. “These are all outstanding administrators and the decisions were not easy,” McLean said.
No disrespect to the winner but if her competition was the former principal at Carver(Thompson) it’s no wonder she was chosen. I have a very good friend who had a child at Carver and he told me of a meeting he had with Thompson and Superintendant Gregory and he told me as he was addressing some of his concerns about things that were happening at Carver that the former principal(Thompson) made the comment that “I don’t have any control over what happens at Carver when I’m out of the building”. This is directly from a more than reliable source so you wonder why Vance County Schools has less than 60% of its 5th graders at or above grade level in Reading Proficiency you need look no further than the so-called leaders of the schools. Thompson by his account is a JOKE for a principal and hopefully for the students at Carver he will not return anytime soon. My buddy and I were talking about the poor kids at New Hope with this guy the school may have to be renamed “NO HOPE” b/c as he said: “what happens at ******* when I’m not there I can’t control”. Word is that the teachers do as they want….unprofessional……nepotism……etc. Remember what I said before “FACTS DON’T LIE….PEOPLE LIE!!!!!”
I’ve met two of the newly placed Principals since the shake-up (or should I say “shake-down”) of the local schools this summer. Both seemed to lack personality and basic communication skills. It was funny, in both cases the Assistant Principals appeared to be working and responding more so than those in top chair….made me wonder. How do folks get these jobs???
Mojo Risin—How do they get these job?? Graham Avenue politics–in my opinion. It is sad and unfair in my opinion.
Who is satisfied with 4 out of 10 students in 5th grade NOT reading at or above grade level? Where is the School Board and the Superintendant demanding that students are being taught? Too many teachers in VCS are riding the retirement train and waiting for next 3-4 years to pass by so they can get their pension. Way too many are not doing what is needed to PUSH students to learn and be productive citizens. It all starts with the Board of Education and trickles down to Principals who are a JOKE and teachers who don’t know the subject matter in which they are supposedly teaching. Time to right this ship…..and you wonder why so many parents try to get their kids in the Charter School or send them to Private School? It’s b/c VCS system is a JOKE!!! Someone tell Thompson that he can stand up straight in a picture!!! TOO FUNNY!!!
Children who start behind, yes,at K level, almost always stay behind, and at grade 3 it shows. 40% not at reading level, that % sounds about right. That’s how many non- functioning families you have here in Vance County. No matter what teacers do, those children are in these home environments much more than at school. Give the teachers a break, they are up against a no-win situation.
And all the parents who are leaving the public system aren’t leaving because of the teachers, they realize what’s going on, its the kids in the classroom who are taking all the teacher’s time and leaving none for their kids.
as far as the admimistration, can’t disagree with you there.
Does Thompson have a relative who is a leadership roll with another school in Vance County? Can someone clarify this for me? Thank you.
Multiple local business owners in this town have told me the # 1 problem facing Vance County is the schools. People leave Henderson and decide against moving here because of it.
How does the Vance County School System stack-up in regards to salary? I was told that on average we compete very well with other state-run systems.
Finally, and this is probably the millionth time this has been mentioned, there is no substitute for home training. Most of our life long limitations start at home and spill over in to the rest of our lives. Sad thing is most do not realize it nor care. Parents need to be parents, not best friends or big brothers / big sisters.
Give the teachers a break. It IS all about the “parents” –go to an elementary prgram some time and see how many of the parents show up in inappropriate clothing, talk incessantly during the program and usually have at least one toddler in tow.
It is possible to raise good and educatable children if the parents aren’t still children themselves.
With some exceptions Vance County School system is a failure. It will take a generation to turn Vance County Schools from a failed system to mediocrity.