By Connie Leinbach
Among the mementos in Leslie Cole’s Ocracoke School office is a plaque that says “Chaos Coordinator.”
The moniker is fitting for a leader who not only has to oversee all 156 students in the school — from pre-K to twelfth grade — but also has had to oversee the rebuilding of an entire school campus from the devastating waters of Hurricane Dorian.
But that designation will be passed on to another as, after 28 and a half years, Cole will retire from the education system as of Jan. 31.
A successor will be named at today’s Hyde County Schools board of education meeting in closed session with other personnel matters. After that, the new principal will be announced.
Cole doesn’t remember who gave her the plaque but notes that as a principal “you never know what the day will bring,” and Sept. 6, 2019, was a day that divides her memories: before Dorian and after Dorian.
Hurricane Dorian swept over Ocracoke as a category 1 hurricane and brought a 7.4-foot storm surge, the highest yet. Almost all village buildings received some water with some inundated more than others.
Some of those buildings were torn down, some mitigated and many on the island have been raised up since then.
As Ocracoke recovered from that devastation, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which upended education nationwide as well.
So, in addition to overseeing the 156 or so students in the school, Cole and her staff had to negotiate teaching during a nationwide pandemic, for which there was no playbook.
“It’s a 24/7, 365 days a year job,” she said about the role she’s had since 2017 during an interview in her new office — something she hasn’t quite had for the last few years.
After Dorian flooded the school buildings, Cole and then superintendent Stephen Basnight rallied to figure out where to hold classes and then how to rebuild.
Ocracoke students had a 22-day hiatus from school before Cole and Basnight were able to secure the NCCAT building for the high school and middle school and the former Ocracoke Child Care building for pre-K, kindergarten and some administration offices.
The second floor of the newer elementary building was OK for occupancy and during that time, Cole’s office was a golf cart as she swung among the three sites.
The old school building was demolished in October 2020 to make way for a new building, and when the state set up a modular unit on the campus for middle and high school, Cole had a desk in the hallway.
“Looking back, it was hard not having (an office), but because I was moving all around, if there was an issue, I was right there,” she said. “You were either in the modular or the elementary building. So, I just walked back and forth, back and forth. That was crazy. I think I blocked out so much just to get through it.”
The brand new middle and high school building opened in August and Cole finally had an office again albeit short lived.
Cole said she committed to get the school built and students moved in.
“Once that was accomplished, I was eligible for early retirement so I decided to take it,” she said. “I just felt it was time.”
And the timing helps with her being able to help out with school events for her son Nicholas’s senior year.
“It just all seemed to be the right time to pass the baton,” she said.
North Carolina education system retirement rules say a retiree must stay away from the school for six months before jumping back into volunteering or even as a substitute, which is what Cole may do come the fall of 2024.
“I love it,” she said about the school and education. “I’m not going away. My child is here. I will be the biggest and best supporter ever for the school. I want it to continue to do well and prosper.”
Cole began her teaching career more than 28 years ago.
She had been spending her summers on Ocracoke waiting tables to pay for college when she heard there was an opening to teach high school history and French.
While studying at Salisbury University, the Maryland native spent her summers living and working on Ocracoke. Upon graduating in 1995 at the age of 22, Cole moved to the island to teach high school social studies and French.
Then she met and married Bill Cole.
After a few years of teaching middle school and high school for about six years, she was assigned to teach only social studies and later got her master’s degree and administrator license from Gardner Webb University in 2013.
She was in her third year as principal when Dorian hit and she and everyone on the island had to rally to repair and rebuild.
Ocracoke principals do it all and Cole stepped up to do what was necessary to keep things running smoothly.
She’s the one who sweeps the gym floor during the basketball games. She’s the one, along with assistant principal Jeanie Owens, who sweeps up the trash from the bleachers after the games.
She joins in with the students during the fun times, such as the Halloween carnival, spirit weeks, and springtime field days.
Her routine on Feb. 1 will be different, especially since Cole will remain on the island, which is different from previous principals who moved away.
She will miss not doing the announcements every morning.
“It’s going to be weird,” she said, “because I’ve been doing them for so long.”
She said she will miss the students and staff very much.
“Being with them each day is the best part of the job,” she said. “That will be the hardest part of my retirement. And when I turn in my keys, that will also be a big moment,” she said.
But, like the affirmations that adorn the new school’s hallways, she focuses on the positive.
“I’ve just been very lucky,” she said. “Even with Dorian. It’s been a lucky career for sure.”
