Friday, May 22, 2026
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Shaver named NCAE 2026 Superintendent of the Year

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From our news services

Hyde County Schools Superintendent Dr. Melanie Shaver has been named the 2026 North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) Division of Principals and Administrators Superintendent of the Year, one of the largest public education organizations in North Carolina.

Dr. Melanie Shaver

The award recognizes extraordinary leadership, assertive advocacy for public education and a profound commitment to student success, educator empowerment, and community engagement. Shaver was formally recognized during the Hyde County Schools Board of Education May regular meeting.

In presenting the award, NCAE Regional Director Rita Jackson-Gilbert described Shaver as a transformational leader whose work has “elevated student achievement, empowered educators, and strengthened the entire Hyde County community.”

Since becoming superintendent in July 2022, Shaver has led Hyde County Schools with a bold vision rooted in equity, innovation, relationships and instructional excellence.

Under her leadership, the district has continued to expand opportunities for students in one of North Carolina’s most unique and rural educational settings, proving that geography and size do not define potential.

“Dr. Shaver understands that every child; regardless of zip code, socioeconomic status or circumstance, deserves access to rigorous and meaningful learning experiences,” Jackson-Gilbert said during the ceremony. “Her leadership reflects not only excellence in administration, but excellence in instructional expertise, innovation, advocacy, and high-quality service to children and families.”

Throughout her tenure, Shaver has remained deeply engaged in classrooms and instructional practices, working alongside teachers and staff to strengthen teaching and learning across the district. Her leadership has focused on building teacher capacity, fostering collaboration and creating systems of support that allow both students and educators to thrive.

But perhaps what distinguishes Dr. Shaver most is the heart behind her leadership.

Shaver has cultivated a culture where educators feel valued, students feel seen, and families know they belong. Her leadership has brought people together around a shared purpose: ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed and every educator has the support to make that success possible.

Shaver has also become widely recognized for her innovative and forward-thinking approach to leadership.

Through expanded communication efforts, strengthened partnerships, strategic planning initiatives and creative solutions tailored to rural education, she has positioned Hyde County Schools as a model of what is possible when vision, advocacy and dedication align.

“This recognition is not just about one person,” said Jackson-Gilbert. “It reflects the incredible students, educators, staff, families and communities that make Hyde County Schools so special. Shaver leads with humility, integrity and purpose, and this award is a testament to the impact she has made across our district and beyond.”

The North Carolina Association of Educators highlighted Dr. Shaver’s ongoing commitment to advocacy and professional collaboration, noting that her leadership exemplifies the values of strong public schools, professional respect for educators and equitable opportunities for all students.

As Hyde County Schools celebrates this extraordinary achievement, the district also celebrates the legacy of leadership Dr. Shaver continues to build which is rooted in service, compassion, innovation, and an unshakable belief in the power of public education.

For more information, visit

https://www.ncae.org/about-ncae/media-center/press-releases/ncae-announces-2026-division-principals-and-administrators-award-winners

Dr. Melanie Shaver, superintendent of Hyde County Schools, receives an honor from
Rita Jackson Gilbert of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE)

Military group to conduct training on Ocracoke

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The Hyde County Sheriff’s Department is notifying Ocracoke Islanders that a small military group will be on the island Friday (May 22) to do training exercises.

Deputy Captain Joe Smith said the group will be in camouflage uniforms and will be armed but not with live ammunition.

He said the group will be doing humanitarian and emergency rescue training.

They will arrive mid-morning, train at the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, the airport and with a boat. They will leave after that.

They won’t be walking around the village, he said, and he did not know how many would be in the group or which branch of the military the group is with.

He said he learned of the group today (Thursday) and that they have been doing training exercises around the state.

“It’s just a training exercise,” he said. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department

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The Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Company. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer

From our news services

Instead of their monthly lunch/dinner fundraiser regularly scheduled for Saturday, May 30, the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department (SQVFD) will host a chili dinner from 5 to 6 p,m. that day.

Following the dinner, the community is invited to stay for a live auction fundraiser from 6 to 8 p.m.

Ray Stocks Auctions of Plymouth will provide the auction services.

Auction items have been provided by the Hyde County community and many SQVFD supporters.

As many readers are aware, North Carolina volunteer fire departments are having a difficult time staying afloat financially, as is the SQVFD.

Fire Chief Jeffrey Stotesberry explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic they weren’t able to have their lunch/dinners for quite a while, which really hurt. When they began to hold dinners again, attendance was down substantially and remains low.

“Before COVID we had over 300 attendees,” he said. “Now, we don’t even have 200 attendees. Even the amount of donations that we receive has dropped. Not because the community doesn’t want to support us, but people are dealing with rising costs in their day-to-day life for things like food, gasoline, utilities and taxes. They have to cut back their spending somewhere just to survive.”

The idea of a community auction as a fundraiser is something new for the company.

“We want to thank Ray Stocks for donating his auctioneering services and also the many folks who have donated items to the cause,” Stotesberry said.

 Keeping a rural volunteer fire department funded has always been difficult.

Even though the firemen and women are volunteers and have never received a paycheck for their service, the departments still have other essential overhead expenses such as utilities, fuel for their trucks, repairs and maintenance, and purchase of equipment. Insurance costs are probably their top expense.

Former SQVFD Assistant Fire Chief Bennett Emory shares how the SQVFD began in 1971.

“Twelve men, the original charter members of the SQVFD, each signed a bank note for $600 with the former East Carolina Bank,” he said. “It was a blanket note for $7,200 and none of the men could get off the note until it was all paid.”

 He said they worked on the building (which had a dirt floor for many years) as they could, and they had lots of fish fries to keep the SQVFD going.

Richard Taylor: 1947 to 2026

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Richard Smith Taylor, 78, died peacefully at home In Bonaire, Georgia, on May 12, 2026.

Born June 15, 1947, in Raleigh, he was a son of Margaret Greene and Gilbert Smith Taylor.

Richard was devoted to his wife Martha Jean Isleib Taylor. They met at the Unity Center of Peace in Chapel Hill where Richard oversaw the sound system for services.

Richard Taylor. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer

Most recently he was on the board of directors at the Unity Spiritual Life Center in Macon, Georgia.

He grew up in North Raleigh, helping his father care for beef cattle and tobacco crops. 

Richard graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He also held an associate’s degree in electronics.

Richard served in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, handling communications at a base in Greenland.

For many years, he worked as a communications technician, installing nurse call buttons and TV satellite systems for many dialysis centers throughout the southeastern U.S. for the Barefoot Lane Company. 

Richard was passionate about trains. He could tell you all the schedules of every train in the United States, where it was going, and what it carried as freight. He would often park his car near some tracks and wait for a train to go by waving at the engineer as it passed.

He was a lifelong volunteer for many causes, including the Red Cross. He was working on donating his seventh gallon of negative O universal blood before his final illness.

He extended his kind heart to the natural world, which led him to eat a meat-free diet throughout his adult life. He was a passionate recycler.

His wife said, “Richard never met a wire he didn’t love, whether to install it into a complex system, or to recycle it.” 

He was a skilled photographer and collected special frames for the images he took to give to people he loved.

For five years, Richard and Martha lived and worked on Ocracoke before they moved to Georgia in 2022.

On Ocracoke, Richard wrote stories for the Ocracoke Observer, mainly sports coverage, and won second and third place awards for his stories on the 2022 Ocracoke Dolphins baseball team: a thrilling game and Dolphins finish second.

He also worked for WOVV 90.1 FM, the community radio station, as a producer.

He was predeceased by his twin brother David Gilbert Taylor. 

In addition to his wife, Richard is survived by a son, Jackson Richard Taylor (Vanessa) and granddaughter, Theodora, both of Solon, Ohio.

Friends like to say that Richard operated on RST (Richard Smith time), meaning he always lived in the present moment and offered his full attention to whoever or whatever was important to him at the time. The world is a better place because of his gentle, intelligent and kind presence.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in his name to the American Red Cross or to the Unity Spiritual Life Center in Macon, Georgia. 

Cape Hatteras National Seashore advises: swim at lifeguard beaches and sign up for swimming safety alerts

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The Day Use area (or Lifeguard Beach) on Ocracoke, NC. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer

MANTEO, N.C. — Cape Hatteras National Seashore will staff five lifeguarded beaches this year from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Lifeguarded Beaches
Lifeguarded beaches are the safest places to swim at the Seashore. The five lifeguarded beaches are as follows:

•           Coquina Beach Access (Bodie Island) Located across from the Bodie Island Lighthouse site

•           Rodanthe Beach Access (Hatteras Island). The Rodanthe Beach Access, provided by Dare County, is located at 23732 N.C. Highway 12, Rodanthe.

•           Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Beach Access (Hatteras Island), adjacent to the former site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Opening date to be determined

•           Frisco Beach Access (Hatteras Island). Located just south of Frisco Village

•           Ocracoke Beach Access (Ocracoke Island); 1.5 miles south of the Seashore campground or half-mile north of Ocracoke Village.

Safety Alerts
Seashore visitors can sign up for ocean and beach condition alerts from Outer Banks lifeguards, ocean rescue agencies and the National Weather Service by texting OBXBeachConditions to 77295. Alerts cover conditions in both Dare and Hyde counties.

Love The Beach, Respect the Ocean website
Whether you are planning a visit to a Seashore beach in Dare County or Hyde County’s Ocracoke Island, Love the Beach, Respect the Ocean website is an online destination for learning the daily rip current risk, beach conditions and more. The website also includes many potentially life-saving videos featuring local lifeguards and Outer Banks residents.

Ocean and Beach Safety Tips

•           Swim at beaches staffed by lifeguards.

•           Bring something in the water with you that floats.
Rather than struggling through a rip current and exhausting yourself, bring something into the ocean that floats and easily float away from the rip current. Float don’t fight.

•           Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean is not the same as swimming in a pool or a lake. Ocean swimming can be very physically taxing and may exacerbate underlying medical issues.

•           A perfect day on the beach doesn’t always mean that it’s a perfect day in the ocean. If in doubt, don’t go out.

•           Never swim alone. Swim with a buddy and have adult supervision for all children. Have someone on shore keep an eye on you while you swim, surf or wade.

•           Be aware that the ocean presents additional hazards, such as lightning, high surf and shore break. Learn more at www.lovethebeachrespectheocean.com.

•           Avoid wearing shiny objects that may attract sharks and other fish.

•           Avoid swimming where danger is present: in rough seas; inlets; around fishing piers and surfers, at night or during thunderstorms.

Ocracoke events May 18 to 25

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OVFD Firemen’s Ball, Berkley Barn. Silent auction: 4 to 6 pm; pig pickin’ $20 per plate 4:30 to 6: 30; Live auction: 6:30 pm followed by music by the Dune Dogs and special guests. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer

Tuesday, May 19:
Ocracoke Civic & Business Assn. meeting, 6 pm. Community Center. Canceled
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Kate McNally, 7 pm

Wednesday, May 20:
Island Trivia, 6-8 pm. MiniBar at Ocracoke Coffee
Ocracoke Waterways Commission, 6:30 pm. Community Center.

Thursday, May 21
MiniBar at Ocracoke Coffee: Brooke + Nick, 6 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: That Guy Shane, 7 pm

Friday, May 22
“What’s Happening on Ocracoke” interview with Harrison Marks, CEO of the NC Coastal Land Trust, WOVV 90.1 FM and WOVV.org
Zumba class. 6 pm. Community Center.
MiniBar at Ocracoke Coffee: Kate McNally, 6 pm
Ocracoke Oyster Company: Ray McAllister Band, 8:30 pm
1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Brooke + Nick, 7 pm

Saturday, May 23
World Turtle Day at the Ocracoke Library, 9 am to 1 pm. Learn about sea turtles with an NPS volunteer.

OVFD Firemen’s Ball, Berkley Barn. Silent auction: 4 to 6 pm; pig pickin’ $20 per plate 4:30 to 6:30 pm; Live auction: 6:30 pm followed by music by the Dune Dogs and special guests.

Ocracoke Oyster Company: Gin & Salt, 8:30 pm

Sunday, May 24
Church services:
Ocracoke United Methodist Church, 11 am
Ocracoke Life Saving Church, 11 am
Stella Maris Chapel: Sunday Mass time at 4:30 pm but it is important to confirm because a priest may not be available to visit the island.  Go to Masstimes.org and type in the zip code 27960, look for Our Lady of the Seas.

1718 Brewing Ocracoke: Open mic (hosted by Adam), 7 pm

Howard’s Pub: The Ray McAllister Band, 9 pm. 10% of the the day’s proceeds to the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department.

Monday, May 25: Memorial Day
1718 Brewing Ocracoke, Ray McAllister Band

Firemen’s Ball. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer

OVFD gets two new trucks: a higher ladder truck and a brush truck

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OVFD Firemen’s Ball at the Berkley Barn schedule is as follows: Silent auction: 4 to 6 pm; pig pickin’ $20 per plate 4:30 to 6: 30; Live auction: 6:30 pm followed by music by the Dune Dogs and special guests.

By Peter Vankevich

Editor’s note: 19th Annual Firemen’s Ball is May 23 and is the department’s most important and fun fundraiser.

With the recent purchase of new ladder and brush trucks, the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) is upgrading its fleet, said Albert O’Neal, the organization’s long-time fire chief.

The department has acquired a Ford F-550 brush truck equipped with a 400-gallon water tank, replacing an older model that is now listed for sale.

Customized by Midwest Fire and purchased in Luverne, Minnesota, the new vehicle was designed with input from the OVFD for improved reliability and maneuverability in tight spaces. It represents a significant enhancement to the department’s emergency response capabilities.

With a 400-gallon tank, it doubles the water capacity compared to the current truck.

OVFD Fire Chief Albert O’Neal and firefighter Charles Temple test out the new 105-foot ladder truck. Photo: C. Leinbach/Ocracoke Observer

said Jeff Dippold, a firefighter who also serves as treasurer. “And because it’s smaller, it’ll do really well in the tight spaces here.”

Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Doshier said the truck has a more dependable pump system with two main hoses and allows distribution from a front bumper outlet that can be controlled by a joystick while moving, a critical feature when combating brush fires.

Dippold and his wife Susan drove the diesel-powered truck 1,500 miles from Luverne to Ocracoke.

In addition to the brush truck, OVFD also received a new ladder truck.

The department found a used truck outside Chicago that features a 105-foot ladder with a platform, offering greater versatility and reach compared to the current 50-foot ladder.

OVFD pursued a used ladder truck because a new one can cost up to $2 million. The ladder truck cost $195,000, while the new brush truck cost $280,000.

Last year, the Stedman Volunteer Fire Department near Fayetteville donated a high-water rescue truck to the OVFD.

This beach-worthy, five-ton truck could play a vital role in emergencies when the road washes out at the north end making other vehicles inaccessible.

Pumper engineer Lt. Vann O’Neal and safety officer Bob Despo maintain all the trucks and customize the new trucks.

With the additions, OVFD will maintain a fleet of nine operational vehicles, a far cry from when Chief O’Neal joined and there were just two outdated trucks.

The department plans to display both trucks at the annual Fireman’s Ball on the evening of May 23 at the Berkley Barn, the major fundraising event that helps offset equipment costs.

An all-volunteer organization, the OVFD is Ocracoke Island’s only resource for firefighting.

To keep the island safe, Ocracoke must have the best equipment and all personnel ready to go as help from any other fire department is at least two hours away, which puts the island in a very vulnerable position.

Community support remains critical, funding for OVFD is primarily from a combination of the Fireman’s Ball, occupancy tax allocations, a Hyde County allocation, T-shirt sales, donations and grants.

Firefighter Jeffrey Dippold with the OVFD’s new brush truck that he drove to Ocracoke from Minnesota. Photo; P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer

Outer Banks sea turtle nesting season begins with rare leatherback on Ocracoke Island

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A leatherback sea turtle nest on Ocracoke Island, NC. Photo by NPS

From our news services

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has reported the first sea turtle nest of the 2026 season. Discovered on May 12 on Ocracoke Island, the nest was identified as belonging to a leatherback sea turtle.

Leatherback nests are rare on North Carolina beaches because they lie at the northern edge of the leatherback’s nesting range.

During the past decade, from 2015 through 2024, only four leatherback nests were documented within the Seashore: one on Hatteras Island in 2022, one on Ocracoke Island in 2023, and two in 2024 — the first time in more than 20 years that two leatherback nests were recorded in a single season.

In 2025, a total of 218 sea turtle nests were recorded at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 193 loggerhead nests, 21 green turtle nests, three Kemp’s ridley nests, and one unidentified nest.

Sea turtles begin laying eggs on Outer Banks beaches in May. The incubation period for the eggs is generally 50 to 60 days.

To read more:
Another good year for nesting sea turtles including leatherback
The five sea turtles of the Outer Banks

Island visit inspires grad student

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Editor:

Having the opportunity to visit Ocracoke with Dr. Walt Wolfram, Dr. Jeff Reaser, Emma, Jacob, and Catie was a truly remarkable experience. It’s an honor to have been part of the continuing 30+ year relationship between NC State’s linguistics program and the Ocracoke community, made unforgettable by the warm welcome given to us by the lovely people we got to meet.

On our first day in Ocracoke, Walt gave us his tour of the island.

While we visited certain locations like the British Cemetery and the Lighthouse, ones that nearly every tourist sees, I knew we’d be in for a unique visit when we pulled into the driveway of someone’s house (by the way, thank you Miggy for having us over for the afternoon).

The people we met and the spaces they care for created an intricately beautiful picture of Ocracoke that no brochure could capture. 

To be entirely honest, I had some worries about coming to teach in an unfamiliar place, but these thoughts dissipated the moment we arrived.

The class we taught was incredibly bright and clearly invested in the material and teaching them was the highlight of my trip.

The experience of teaching in Ocracoke was memorable and went above my expectations, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Ocracoke community for being so supportive and kind in having us over for the week. 

– Sam Williams, NC State graduate student

Sam Williams, left, visited WOVV with fellow grad students Emma Schoenecker, Catie Weaver, Jacob Wittrock and Dr. Jeff Reaser. Photo: P. Vankevich/Ocracoke Observer

Davie Poplar tree in SQ to receive plaque

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From our news services

The O. A. Peay Alumni Association at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, will unveil and dedicate a plaque for Hyde County’s Davie Poplar tree, which was planted in 1993 on the campus of the former O. A. Peay School, 1430 Main St., Swan Quarter.

The Davie Poplar tree in Swan Quarter.

The association, which was formed in the early 1950s, holds their annual reunion and homecoming during the Memorial Day weekend on the school grounds, 1430 Main Street, Swan Quarter. The Davie Poplar tree program begins at 2:30 pm.

The history of the tree goes back to 1793 with the Revolutionary War General William Richardson Davie. Davie was one of several committee members who had been given the mission to find just the right location to lay the cornerstone for the nation’s first public university–the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Legend has it that one day during their search, Davie and other committee members stopped to rest and have a picnic lunch under the shade of a massive poplar (tulip) tree. Forthwith they decided that the university would be built nearby. That tree, eventually named for Davie, still stands on the campus of UNC-CH.

In 1993, some 200 years later, as UNC-CH began planning their bicentennial celebration, Peter White, director of the North Carolina Botanical Garden, and others proposed the idea of propagating the tree and distributing them to each of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Sixth graders from across the state wrote essays and the winner in each county traveled to Chapel Hill to receive their county’s tree.

Erica Britt Green of Swan Quarter, who attended O. A. Peay School, represented Hyde County. The entire school participated in the planting of the tree, which can be seen behind the school. Sixth graders were chosen to participate because they would graduate from high school in 2000. That year represented a continuing legacy of public education into the new millennium.

The tree has grown and prospered, but somehow, no marker or plaque recognizing the event was ever erected.

Spearheaded by Archie Green, the current president of the association, a beautiful bronze plaque marking the occasion of the tree’s planting will be installed in time for this year’s homecoming.

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