PENDER COUNTY — Two schools within the district will see fresh leadership at the helm come August.
Pender County Schools Board of Education approved placement and hiring of two principals at its Tuesday meeting.
Kathryn Bates was hired as South Topsail Elementary School, effective July 11. Nikki Braune has been appointed as principal at Pender Innovative Learning Academy, also effective July 11.
Bates was most previously the assistant principal at Topsail High School. She graduated from Catawba College in 2010 and began teaching that August at Hanford Dole Elementary School in Rowan Salisbury Schools. While there, she began to work to develop a meaningful relationship between the community and school. It also ignited her passion to seek more leadership opportunities.
Bates received a scholarship to enter into the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program in 2017. She worked with a cohort of 25 aspiring principals across the state. In 2020, Bates graduated from UNC Charlotte with a master’s degree in school administration. She served as assistant principal for East Rowan high School before coming to Pender County.
Prior to Braune’s selection to serve at Pender Innovative Learning Academy, she served as an assistant principal at Rocky Point Elementary from 2021 to 2023. She also previously worked at Malpass Corner Elementary and Cape Fear Elementary.
Braune earned multiple degrees from Appalachian State University — a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education, specializing in math and language arts, and a master’s degree in education and public school administration. She spent 18 years as a middle school teacher and coached track, cheerleading and softball.
“I am looking forward to working with students from all over Pender County,” Braune said in a press release. “My goal is to help all students be successful in both their academic and social pursuits.”
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