Wrightsville Beach School will have a new principal next year. Jackson Norvell is being reassigned from Ashley High School following complaints about his leadership style.
He will move from Ashley to Wrightsville Beach effective July 1, while Wrightsville Beach School Principal MaryPaul Beall will become principal at Isaac Bear Early College High School. Beall has been principal at Wrightsville Beach School since 2011. She also served as principal of Williston Middle School and assistant principal at New Hanover High School and Alderman Elementary.
Norvell’s two-year tenure at Ashley was not a peaceful one. Dissatisfaction among the faculty was evident by the results of a working conditions survey conducted during the 2013-14 school year in which just 18.8 percent of teachers who answered agreed the school fostered an atmosphere of trust and respect.
Those numbers improved significantly during the 2014-15 school year, to 43.4 percent, but still fell far short of similar ratings at the other traditional high schools. There was a similar gap in ratings on other leadership issues.
Some employees and residents urged the school board not to renew his contract. Jennifer Sugerik, an Ashley music teacher who has spoken for a group of faculty members, told the school board in May that working conditions were not good.
During the same May meeting, the board approved a four-year contract, and an anonymous blog reported without attribution that Norvell would be reassigned. The official announcement came in a news release Saturday.
Norvell said during a Tuesday, June 16 interview, he is excited about his new assignment, and he disputed characterizations implying he was heavy-handed.
“I am not and never have been a bully,” he said. He had not commented previously on complaints.
He said he believes the new assignment is the right move for him and for the school system at this time.
“I love students, I love working with students,” he said. His goal, he said, is to instill a love of learning in students.
Superintendent Tim Markley didn’t address the controversy at Ashley directly but said Tuesday, June 16 he believes Norvell will be a good fit at Wrightsville Beach.
“A lot of things go into a principal move,” Markley said. “His contract was renewed 7-0 by the board — obviously they have full confidence in Jackson’s ability.”
Others who know Norvell said he is energetic and excellent with children and parents. Former Wrightsville Beach School Principal Pansy Rumley said she knew Norvell when he as a band instructor at Roland-Grise Middle School, where her nephew — whom she described as like a son to her — attended.
“We just loved him,” she said. He was great with the students, she said, adding she has no doubt he would do well at Wrightsville Beach School.
Norvell also made a good impression on members of the Wrightsville Beach School Foundation, which invited him on short notice to Monday’s meeting. Aimee Jones, outgoing president of the foundation, said she is confident he will do well.
“We’ll miss MaryPaul,” she said.
Jones, whose children have both attended the school, said Beall worked well with the foundation, which raises money for programs and items not in the budget, and was a good principal.
“I think she did great things for the students,” Jones said. “But after speaking with him, I think he will be a great asset. He is energetic, thoughtful, and I think he’s going to do a great job.”
Norvell and his wife, Christina, already have a connection to Wrightsville Beach. They serve as directors of youth ministry for Wrightsville Beach United Methodist Church.
The principal shuffle announced Saturday, June 13 involved four administrators. Murray Middle School Principal Patrick McCarty will be the new principal at Ashley, and Isaac Bear Principal Phillip Sutton will move to Murray Middle.
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