Dr. Rodney Shotwell, superintendent of Rockingham County Schools, was named the 2015 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year at an awards presentation and reception held Tuesday at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
The award was given jointly by the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA), North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA) and the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA). Pearson sponsored the event and provided a $5,000 award to the winner.
Since 2006, Dr. Shotwell has served as superintendent of Rockingham County Schools, and he is currently in his 25th year in public education. He began his career in education as an In-School Suspension/Drop-out Prevention and Social Studies teacher for five years, before moving into school administration. He is currently a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors.
Dr. Shotwell and his staff have implemented various school reform initiatives to improve students’ preparation for college and careers. He was instrumental in reducing the county’s dropout rate from 7.83% to 3.89% in 2014. Rockingham County School’s economically disadvantaged students’ graduation rate also has risen 29 points during Dr. Shotwell’s tenure.
Dr. Shotwell resides in Reidsville with his wife Kim and their two sons, Evan and Josh.
NCSAA Executive Director Jack Hoke congratulated Dr. Shotwell saying, "Dr. Shotwell is most deserving of this recognition of his accomplishments and contributions to education, not only in the Rockingham County Schools, but on the state level as well. I wish him the best as the process of selecting the National Superintendent of the Year begins."
As the 2015 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Shotwell will compete for the National Superintendent of the Year honor, which will be given at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education Feb. 26-28, 2015 in San Diego.
Along with Dr. Shotwell, the 2015 North Carolina Regional Superintendents of the Year, all of whom were nominees for this prestigious state award, included:
Region 1 – Dr. Dwayne Stallings Perquimans Public Schools
Region 2 – Dr. Dan Novey, Carteret County Schools
Region 3 – Dr. Patrick Miller, Greene County Schools
Region 4 – Dr. Frank Till, Cumberland County Schools
Region 5 – Dr. Rodney Shotwell, Rockingham County Schools
Region 6 – Dr. Mary Ellis, Union County Schools
Region 7 – Dr. Steve Stone, Caldwell County Schools
Region 8 – Dr. Jeff McDaris, Transylvania County Schools
About the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA) and the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA): NCASA is a non-profit membership organization serving over 7,000 school administrators from across North Carolina. The mission of the organization is to ensure student success through visionary leadership. NCSSA, one of NCASA’s core affiliates, is the membership organization for superintendents of the state’s 115 local school districts.
About the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA): NCSBA is a non-profit organization that represents the 115 local boards of education in North Carolina. The organization seeks to provide leadership and services that enable local school boards to govern effectively.
About Pearson: Pearson is one of the world’s leading education companies and provides technology platforms and digital content resources to make a measurable difference in learning outcomes for students, educators, and to education systems. The company’s mission is to help people make progress in their lives through learning.
