From our news services

The Hyde County Schools Board of Education on Tuesday named Ocracoke School assistant principal Jeanette (Jeanie) Owens as the new principal following the retirement announcement of Leslie Cole, whose last day will be Jan. 31.

A reception will be held for Owens from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Jan 29, in the commons room in Ocracoke School.

A community farewell/pep rally for Cole is planned for 2 p.m. Jan. 30 in the Ocracoke School gym.

Owens has taught at Ocracoke School since 2015, teaching both fourth and fifth grades while also serving as Dean of Students and assistant principal.

She received her graduate certificate in school leadership from Appalachian State University in 2019, earned her national board certification in 2021, and will complete her Ed.S. (educational specialist) in educational leadership from East Carolina University this summer.

Owens was named the Richard A. Schwartz Honored Educator Scholar for 2020-2021 by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and was honored to be the 2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Northeast Region Teacher of the Year.

Hailing from Abingdon, Virginia, Owens earned a bachelor’s degree in history and German from Radford University and a master’s in education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech.

Over her 25-year career, Jeanie has taught in a variety of classroom settings both public and private, including at the university, high school, middle school, and elementary levels.

Owens values and respects the Ocracoke community and is excited to continue the traditions of academic excellence, community engagement, and student-centered learning at the heart of Ocracoke School.

When not at school, Jeanie loves running on the beach, traveling with her children and snuggling with her new grandson.

“I have always said that Ocracoke students are in my soul,” she said upon acceptance of the position. “They are my why. I am so honored and excited that I have the opportunity to continue serving the students, families, teachers, and community as the next principal. I know I have really big shoes to fill.

“Leslie has been our guiding light through so many happy and stormy times. I promise to keep that light shining for her and for our outstanding school.”

Cole has been an integral part of the Ocracoke School community since 1995.

During her tenure, she has been pivotal in fostering a positive learning environment, implementing educational programs that ensure student success, establishing strong relationships with students, staff and parents in which the students have consistently achieved academic excellence.

She also oversaw the rebuilding of Ocracoke School following the devastating flooding from Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 6, 2019.

“The retirement of Leslie Cole marks the end of an era, and the Ocracoke School community expresses its deepest gratitude for her unwavering commitment to the betterment of education,” Hyde County Schools said in a press release.

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.”