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Newman, Swain Named PCS Principal, Assistant Principal of the Year

Newman, Swain Named PCS Principal, Assistant Principal of the Year

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Megan Newman (Elmhurst Elementary School) and Katy Swain (Lakeforest Elementary School) were selected as the 2025 Pitt County Schools Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year, respectively, during a celebration banquet sponsored by the Pitt County Farm Bureau at Rock Springs Center Tuesday night.

Other principal nominees included South Central High School's Dr. Chena Cayton and Hope Middle School's Jennifer Johnson, while Amanda Davis (E.B. Aycock Middle School) and Monique Warren (C.M. Eppes Middle School) were the assistant principal candidates.

Prior to her appointment to lead Elmhurst earlier this year, Newman served in similar roles at both Stokes School (2019-21) and Grifton School (2021-24). She began her PCS career as a teacher at Grifton in 2009 before transitioning to an administrative position as assistant principal at Wintergreen Primary School in 2015 and then followed as the district's Health Sciences Academy Coordinator three years later. A three-time East Carolina University graduate, which includes master's degrees in elementary education and school administration, Newman is in her 14th year as an educator and 10th as an administrator.

Swain, who owns eight years of administrative experience and 22 overall years in education, has served as assistant principal at Lakeforest since 2018 upon her completion of the prestigious North Carolina Principal Fellows Program. Before joining PCS, she spent 16 years in Cumberland County Schools as a teacher at Jack Britt High School (2002-16) and Montclair Elementary (2017), which preceded her principal internship at Brentwood Elementary during the 2017-18 academic year. Swain earned a bachelor's degree from ECU and followed with a master's of school administration from Fayetteville State University.

"We believe effective leadership, at its core, is a vital component of success that reaches deep within our school community to impact our students, teachers and staff in the most positive way imaginable," PCS Interim Superintendent Dr. Steve M. Lassiter Jr. said. "It is imperative to have outstanding administrative leaders such as Ms. Newman and Ms. Swain serving our district in an exemplary manner and that is clearly reflected in the respect both have earned from their peers."

Newman succeeds Dr. Jennifer James of Innovation Early College High School, who was chosen as the 2024 PCS recipient. Swain follows J'celyn Bryson (Ayden-Grifton High School), who was named the system's assistant principal of the year last October.