Students and educators recognized for outstanding contributions

HAMLET — The Richmond County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday evening was filled with applause and appreciation as students and staff were recognized for achievements in academics, leadership and service.

Among those honored was Ryan Dawkins, a fifth grader at LJ Bell Elementary, who claimed the title of District Spelling Bee champion. His victory came after a showdown against an eighth-grade competitor during the final round of this year’s competition at Rockingham Middle School.

“I am so pleased to be here to recognize mister Ryan Dawkins. He’s a fifth grader at LJ Bell School. This is not his first appearance here. This is his second year doing this and representing our district as a spelling bee winner. He did win the district, this is the second consecutive year. It’s an impressive feat that demonstrates not only his exceptional spelling abilities, which I’m extremely jealous of, but also his dedication to academic excellence this year’s competition that we held at Rock Middle was particularly exciting as Ryan faced off against an eighth grade student in the final round and after multiple head-to-head rounds, Ryan emerged victorious showcasing his knowledge that is well beyond his years,” said Hayley Gordon, director of Gifted Education.

Dawkins also went on to compete at the State Script Spelling Bee, held at Bank of America Stadium.

“Following this district win which is exciting enough, we brought back something this year that we haven’t done in a while and Ryan represented our school at the State Script Spelling Bee held at Bank America Stadium. His participation at the state level reflects positively on our district’s commitment to academic excellence so we would like to recognize Ryan’s achievement and we’re just proud that he could be here tonight to represent, or to recognize his natural talent and hard work and determination. Thank you for letting us celebrate,” said Gordon.

Mia Green, a senior at Richmond Senior High School, was recognized as a recipient of the prestigious Levine Scholars Program at UNC Charlotte. Out of more than 3,000 national nominees, only 20 students were selected for this highly competitive, merit-based scholarship.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Kate Smith shared personal memories of Green, recalling her strong intellect and work ethic as a young student at Mineral Springs Elementary.

“Known for her hard work her dedication and her commitment to everything that she does. I remember Mia as a young elementary school student at Mineral Springs as her former principal, and even then Mia was exceptional. She was far beyond her years with maturity, her respectful behavior and her responsibility in everything that she did. Mr. Ingram and I always let everybody know that every time Mia wins an award, ‘you know she’s from Ellerbe, right?’ as if we had something to do with that,” said Dr. Smith.

At Richmond Senior High School, Green has taken on leadership roles including chief junior marshal and president of the HOSA club. She has served as a Beta Club officer for four years and is a member of both the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society. In addition to earning her CNA certification, she will graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree.

Four educators were recognized with the Inspiring Excellence Award for their dedication to students and colleagues across the district. Dina Gunnells, principal at Cordova Middle School, honored Crystal Williams and Kim Walker for their impactful contributions.

“Selecting only two people extreme is extremely difficult when there are so many people who are deserving of this recognition. The beginning of the school year was launched with the theme ‘be a champion,’ staff were challenged to be a champion to their colleagues and our students, one person in one moment at a time as they navigated the school year. These two people represented our model of supporting others as they rose to the challenge,” said Gunnells.

Gunnells described Williams as “a quiet, softspoken genius who helps maintain all things operational. Her forward thinking and creativity are the source of treats for our teachers on their hardest days Miss Williams is solution finder when it comes to stretching a dollar and pinching a penny,” and Walker as “the master of wearing many hats she does it with style and grace. Miss Walker is approachable and honest when with our teachers as they seek her out for guidance she is strategic when assisting them so that they are empowered to be the champion their students need them to be. She is often the soft place where teachers can reflect and reset she encourages them to take risks and extend the bar of what going for the gold is.”

Mineral Springs Elementary Principal Angel Mabe recognized Anna Liles and Shelby Nantz for their leadership and commitment to school community.

“As a Pre-K teacher, Anna brings unmatched school spirit and a heart full of dedication to everything that she does she is a champion for school improvement always eager to be involved even when the work is unfamiliar. She is known for saying ‘I don’t understand what that is but just tell me what to do’ and she jumps in wholeheartedly,” said Mabe.

“Shelby is the face that welcomes everyone who walks through our doors and more often than not she’s the first voice you hear when you call the school. She is the go-to person for information about our students and has built lasting meaningful relationships with our staff and family over time. She consistently seeks out solutions to help our school more efficiently and is always ready to step in whenever help is needed,” said Mabe.

The board also celebrated five schools: Rockingham Middle, Hamlet Middle, Richmond Senior High, Fairview Heights Elementary and LJ Bell Elementary, for being named Purple Star Schools. The designation recognizes outstanding support for military-connected students during the 2024–2025 school year.

“We are proud to honor five exceptional schools that have earned the prestigious Purple Star Award designation for their outstanding support of Military Connected students during the 2024-2025 school year. These schools were recognized at the at the 2025 Purple Star Awards ceremony held at North Carolina National Guard joint force headquarters on May 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina,” said Melvin Ingram, assistant superintendent of safety and support services.

Cordova Middle School received additional recognition for the success of its SkillsUSA chapter. Greg Norton, director of Career and Technical Education, introduced the program’s recent achievements at the state level, with Skills advisor Anthony Maynor providing details.

“It’s a CTSO, a career technical student organization. It is a student parent industry teacher partnership that helps young people get information skills learning about different trades and the different industries that we have here in the county and nationwide. This past year Cordova Skills USA chapter competed in the NC Skills USA state leadership conference at Greensboro from April 9 to 11. Through hard work and dedication, Cordova Middle School was able to showcase our students— and that’s in many different career competitions. We were also able to bring home seven state championships. Also, for the second year in a row Cordova Middle School competitors will represent Richmond County Schools on a national stage as they will attend and compete against other middle schoolers around the nation in the Skills USA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta Georgia,” said Maynor.

State champions include Kinda McLaurin (job demonstration, cosmetology), Jermaine Dawkins (action skills), Makailyn Smith and Drayden Wall (mobile robotics), and Maurice Lemon, Julian Ingram and Brandon Reyes Marin (team engineering). Addison Chappell, Kyleigh McCormick and Lilian Quick placed third in the healthcare skill showcase, while Madison Patterson placed third in job skill demonstration for healthcare. Kevron McSween earned fifth place in job skill demonstration open. All seven first-place winners will advance to nationals in Atlanta.