Cumberland County Schools named the 2025 principal, assistant principal, teacher and beginning teacher of the year during the district's Premier Professionals Gala on Tuesday night.
Dr. Shanessa Fenner, of W.T. Brown Elementary Schools, was named the Principal of the Year, and Alianna Sigler, an Exceptional Children Program instructor at Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary, was named Teacher of the Year.
Fenner has been a principal in Cumberland County Schools since 2006.
“It is our duty and priority to ensure that our children receive a quality education and are prepared for the future,” a message from Fenner states on the W.T. Brown website."Education is my superpower. I've been in education now close to 30 years," Fenner said Tuesday in accepting her award. "At W.T. Brown we love our babies, we educate them every day. We give our all and do our best .. Being a principal has been so fulfilling for me. I've been able to touch many lives each and every day and prepare them for a very productive future."
Other nominees for CCS Principal of the Year included:
• Shannon Booth: Principalat Sherwood Park Elementary since 2023. Booth has been an assistant principal and principal with Cumberland County Schools since 2004, her LinkedIn profile states.On Sherwood Park Elementary’s website, Booth said that it is an administrator’s desire “to provide students with experiences that are rigorous, relevant and ones that foster meaningful relationships each and every day.”“It is our responsibility to empower children with the skills necessary to become globally competitive in our ever-changing society and parent involvement is an essential component of this growth,” she said.In a video shared to the district’s social media page Saturday, Booth said that the district’s motto “We are CCS: achieving educational excellence,” means supporting students and staff with “nurturing relationships” and engaging the community to support needs.
• Dr. Natasha Brown: Principal of Westover Middle School since 2019.Brown was named 2020 Assistant Principal of the Year when at Lewis Chapel Middle School.She has been with the district for more than 16 years, serving as a middle school English Language Arts teacher, assistant principal, and principal, according to Westover Middle School’s website.In a video shared on the district’s social media page Sunday, Brown said that the district’s motto, “We are CCS: achieving educational excellence,” means building premiere professionals and successful students while working in a collaborative, engaging environment.
• Lisa Gillespie: Principal of Mary McArthur Elementary since 2018.
Gillespie first worked at Cumberland County schools from August 2008 until June 2008 as a fourth-grade teacher and returned to the district as an administrative intern between 2012-2013. She was an assistant principal from 2013-2017 and a principal in 2018, her LinkedIn profile states.This year, she was one of The Fayetteville Observer’s 40 Under 40 honorees.In a questionnaire, Gillespie said principals “must balance taking care of people and completing tasks.”“Balancing these responsibilities requires a great deal of ‘head work’ and ‘heart work,’ but achieving this balance is key to the overall well-being and success of the school,” she said.In a video shared to the district’s social media page Friday, Gillespie said that the district’s motto means being committed to every student in every way possible.“We are committed to making sure that students have an educational experience that is one to remember,” she said.
• Dr. Douglas Massengill: Principal of Massey Hill Classical High since 2022.
Massengill has also been an assistant principal at Harnett County Schools and a principal at schools in Moore and New Hanover county, his LinkedIn profile states.In a video shared to the district’s social media page Friday, Massengill said that the district’s motto means “laying everything on the field,” to benefit staff and students.“I was one of those children who needed the help of educators to be successful in life,” Massengill said. “As a former foster youth, I needed teachers to motivate me and to refuse to accept mediocrity in my daily life and push me toward success. Without them, I could have easily been a statistic. I’m thankful for their influence in my life, and it’s my honor to pay it forward.”
• Antoine McGill: Principal of J.W. Seabrook Elementary since July 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In a video shared to the district’s social media page Saturday, McGill said that the district’s motto means everyone giving 100% of their time for student betterment.
• Larry Parker, Jr.: Principal of E.E. Smith High since 2022.
Parker has been in education for more than 20 years, starting as a pre-kindergarten-through-second-grade teacher at Pauline Jones Elementary School in 2002.He has also served as assistant principal at E.E. Smith High School; assistant principal, athletic director and interim principal at Seventy-First High School; and principal of Walker-Spivey Elementary School.In a message shared on E.E. Smith’s website, Parker said he challenges students to take advantage of what is offered at the school to make their high school life successful, enjoyable and meaningful.In a video shared to the district’s social media page Monday, Parker said that the district’s motto means hard work and serving student needs.“If students feel safe, if they feel welcomed, if they feel invited, they’re more than likely to be successful, they’re more than likely to reach for excellence, and if we establish that with our children early on at the beginning, this will be a trend that will last throughout their entire lives,” he said.
• Corine Warren: Principal at Benjamin Martin Elementary School since 2019.
Warren has worked in education for more than 30 years and served as an assistant principal at schools in Cumberland, Robeson and Gwinnett counties and in Georgia, according to a 2019 CCS news release.A message from Warren on Benjamin Martin Elementary School’s website states that she is a Fayetteville native and a “proud product of Cumberland County Schools.”“As a principal and advocate for all children, I believe that it is my responsibility to go above and beyond to meet each student’s needs,” she said. “I also believe that it is my duty to serve as an equalizer to ensure that each student develops, grows, and achieves success.”In a video shared to the district’s social media page Friday, Warren said that the district’s motto, “We are CCS: achieving educational excellence,” means professionals, community members and parents are committed to working together to provide students “with the resources, support and opportunities they need to excel socially, emotionally and academically.”
Teacher of the Year
Sigler, described as "a standout educator known for her student-centered approach and dedication," has served as an at Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary School for the past two years. A news release said that Sigler has nine years of experience in teaching.
"I understand that as a teacher, I am an important stakeholder in the well-being of the students I teach," Sigler said in the release. "I am not only an advocate for them, but also a partner and an advocate for their parent(s)."
Other Teacher of the Year nominees included:• Shelly Atkinson: Kindergarten teacher at Ponderosa Elementary. In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Monday, Atkinson said that the district’s motto means “creating a classroom environment that provides an opportunity for all students to reach their fullest potential.”
• Tyera Avery, Third-grade teacher at Margaret Willis Elementary.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Monday, Avery said Cumberland County Schools students are provided with a safe, loving environment that supports them to reach their highest potential.“Our students are like our family,” Avery said. “We support them. We love them, and we nurture them.”
• Sara Coursey: Fifth-grade teacher at Long Hill Elementary.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Monday, Coursey said that the district’s motto means building and maintaining a community.“We’re passionate about what we do, and we believe in student success, and we do everything that we can to make sure that every student is thriving,” Coursey said
• Shannon Edwards: Science teacher at Cape Fear High School.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Friday, Edwards said that the district’s motto means providing students with resources and opportunities to help them reach their potential.“I want to build a culture of growth and inclusion so I can help all students achieve educational excellence,” Edwards said.
• Carlos Erepol: Math teacher at Seventy-First Classical Middle.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Monday, Erepol said that the district’s motto means the community comes together to ensure student success.“We should all be on the same page to ensure their holistic development,” Erepol said.
• Matthew Grant: Fourth-grade teacher at Montclair Elementary.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Friday, Grant said that the district’s motto reminds him of the Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “If a man is called to sweep streets, let him sweep streets as Beethoven composed music. Let him sweep streets as Michelangelo painted. Let him sweep streets as Shakespeare wrote poetry."“In other words," Grant said, "if a man or a woman is called to be an educator, let them do it with excellence just as Beethoven, Michelangelo and Shakespeare. Let us be bold. Let us be fearless. Let’s transform lives and make a lasting impression on the young minds of the children that are entrusted to work here.”
• Janet Knotts: Instructional coach at Alderman Road Elementary.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Monday, Knotts said that the district’s motto means "that we are a family — a family that is supportive; a family that is committed." “We are so blessed to have so many different cultures in our family, so we are CCS,” Knotts said. “We are raising each other up. We are CCS. We are achieving educational excellence.”
• Charlon Long: Social studies teacher at Cumberland Academy.
“We are an ever-changing, ever-evolving world, and we need to prepare our students to not only become great leaders but also better citizens,” Long said in a video shared to the district’s social media pages Monday. “In order to do that, we need to have individualized lessons for each student. Educational excellence is not a one-size-fits-all instruction. We have a diverse population of students who have their own unique talents and their own unique strengths.”
• Brittany Savoy: Physical education teacher and girls’ track coach at John Griffin Middle School.
In a video shared to the district’s social media pages Saturday, Savoy said that as a CCS alumna, she thinks the district’s motto “means the skies the limit. We push past boundaries and create new opportunities in different realms."
Assistant Principal of the Year
Jernise Flood Rucker, of Westarea Elementary School, was named Assistant Principal of the Year.
Other finalists included:• Jessica Black at E.E. Smith High School.• Pierre Cobb at Pine Forest High School.• Eddie Ford IV at South View Middle School.• Elan Goodman-Robinson at Westover Middle School.• Dr. Hope Littlejohn at Ed V. Baldwin Elementary School.• Latonica McDonald at Walker-Spivey Elementary School.• Teresa Rubio at Cumberland Academy, K-5.• Constance Thomas at William H. Owen Elementary School.
Beginning Teacher of the Year
Haleigh Baker, a math teacher at Cumberland International Early College High School, was named Beginning Teacher of the Year.
Other honorees included:• Haleigh Baker: Math teacher at Cumberland International Early College High School.• Marquita Bowen: Fourth-grade teacher at Margaret Willis Elementary School.• Kacy Gunter: Agriculture teacher for Pine Forest High School’s Career and Technical Education program.• Cori Kegel: Seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher at John Griffin Middle School.• Danielle Ongie: Second-grade teacher at Manchester Elementary School.• Johnathon Pitts: Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade science, technology, engineering and math teacher and seventh-grade Minecraft teacher at Seventy-First Classical Middle School.• Tiffany Quick: Second-grade teacher at Brentwood Elementary School.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.