Topsail Beach
EDUCATION
Northside Jacksonville High 2024 graduates: 300+ students, $4M scholarships
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Northside High School in Jacksonville celebrated the Class of 2024 with a graduation ceremony on Thursday morning. The bleachers and chairs on the field were filled with family, friends, and loved ones who gathered to support the newly graduated students. “I am excited for my friends...
Topsail High School to rename media center and gym
HAMPSTEAD, N.C. (WECT) - Topsail High School is set to hold ceremonies to rename its media center and gymnasium in honor of people who helped the school. The Jan Lewis Media Center will be dedicated at a ceremony at 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 20, in honor of benefactor Jan Lewis.
Investigation into Topsail wrestling program claims bullying, NCHSAA violations
Months after the Pender County Board of Education announced it would launch an independent investigation into the dismissal of Topsail wrestling coach Pete Smith, findings have been revealed. Pender County Schools distributed a press release on Tuesday that contained hundreds of pages of information, many of which were heavily redacted. The release included a 27-page report from Schwartz Law P.L.L.C., a Raleigh-based law firm hired to conduct the independent investigation into the Topsail wrestling program and Smith. ...
'Context matters': Former Topsail wrestling coach Pete Smith responds to investigation
Former Topsail High School wrestling coach Pete Smith has responded to a report shared by Pender County Schools on Tuesday. “I wholeheartedly disagree with the overall assessment of the Topsail Wrestling program as it was outlined in this recent report,” Smith said in a statement to the StarNews on Wednesday. “Context matters. Any content presented in a specific narrative that conveniently leaves out pertinent information that would alter the interpretation of the content is what this report is riddled with, unfortunately.”
PCS report alleges Title IX violations, safety issues on Topsail High School wrestling team
Last February, Pete Smith's dismissal from his role as Topsail High School wrestling coach came as a shock to many parents. This week, PCS is finally explaining why. On Tuesday night, the Pender County Board of Education released a 212-page report from the Raleigh legal firm Schwartz Law, who the board hired in March to investigate Smith's dismissal. The firm concluded that PCS had grounds to fire Smith.
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