Holly Shelter Middle School’s first principal named

The New Hanover County Board of Education approved at the February Board meeting for Dr. Sherry Pinto, presently principal of Bradley Creek Elementary, to be appointed as principal of New Hanover County Schools’ new Holly Shelter Middle School. Dr. Pinto will begin her role as Holly Shelter’s head administrator on March 1, 2010. Cheryl Cribbs, assistant principal of Bradley Creek, will serve as interim principal for the remainder of the 2009-10 school year. Dr. Pinto began with NHCS in 2007.

Dr. Pinto is very excited about her placement at Holly Shelter. “I am looking forward to being the principal of Holly Shelter!” said Dr. Pinto. “It is a principal’s dream to open up a new school and create a new learning community from the ground up; this is truly a unique experience.”

Dr. Pinto brings over 10 years of school leadership to her position at Holly Shelter Middle. Prior to serving as Bradley Creek’s principal, Dr. Pinto led Green Holly Elementary in Maryland and served as an assistant principal for Carteret County, where she was named Carteret County’s 2000-2001 Assistant Principal of the Year. As Dr. Pinto has directed schools, they have each gained academic success. During her tenure at Green Holly, the school was named the number one Title I School in Maryland for closing the achievement gap. Beaufort Elementary, located in Carteret County, was named a North Carolina School of Distinction. While she has been principal at Bradley Creek Elementary, the school has made AYP and high growth each year.

Dr. Pinto’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science and Master’s of School Supervision and Administration. She recently achieved her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration. In addition to her academic degrees, Dr. Pinto is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Principals Executive Program and the Leadership Academy.

The students and staff of Holly Shelter Middle will have the opportunity to experience and grow from Dr. Pinto’s strong leadership experience. Her philosophy of leadership rests on three basic tenants: safety, unity, and success. She strives to ensure that her school is a safe place to learn. Dr. Pinto implements school-wide discipline policies and handles discipline fairly, yet swiftly. She enjoys having fun and creating a fun learning environment, though she notes, “When it’s time to learn, we get down to business.”

Dr. Pinto is preparing for Holly Shelter to be a strong learning community through creating a sense of unity with the students and staff. Her plans include teachers utilizing best practices in the classrooms and students respecting and embracing the learning environment. Dr. Pinto is an open communicator and believes in communicating often. She feels it is critical that everyone stays “in the loop.”

As she begins to plan, Dr. Pinto is already planning to celebrate Holly Shelter’s future achievements. “We as a school will celebrate in one another’s successes and help each other when someone is in need,” said Dr. Pinto.

Information from a news release sent to the WWAY NewsChannel 3 Newsroom.