THIS Week is College Application Week!

This is the 20th year that North Carolina colleges and universities will be waiving application fees during College Application Week, October 20-26.

Review the list of colleges waiving fees here. Students can use the CFNC Application Hub to submit their applications.

Career Day at Ben D. Quinn Elementary!

On Friday, October 10th, students at Ben D. Quinn Elementary had an exciting opportunity to explore future careers during Career Day!

Local professionals shared insights about their jobs, from daily responsibilities and educational paths to the rewards of their work. Providing students with the opportunity to dream big and ask great questions about their futures.

A huge thank you to all our incredible community partners who took the time to inspire our students today:

Heather Romans – Bank Manager, Wells Fargo

Detective Coleman & Corporal DeVaughn – River Bend Police Department

Andrew, Tyler & Sanda – Craven County Health Department

Nick Walters – Walters Jiu-Jitsu

Bernard Bush – Lawyer

Craven County Forest Service

RHEMS Volunteer Fire Department

Craven County Sheriff’s Office

Kathryn Lovick – Social Worker, Craven County DSS

Courtney Cooper – Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

Joshua Barbre – Fine Arts Coordinator, Craven Community College

Somer Peede – Education & Outreach Coordinator, Tuscarora Landfill

Donald Carpenetti – Chemistry Professor, Craven Community College

Erin Dobert – Photographer

Mr. Donell Bryant – Barbering Program Manager, Craven Community College

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success! Your time and dedication help spark curiosity and inspire the next generation!

CTE Offers 5th Annual C.O.W. (Careers on Wheels) Fair!

Craven County Schools Career & Technical Education (CTE), in partnership with Craven Community College and local industry partners, proudly hosted the 5th Annual C.O.W. (Careers on Wheels) Fair on Tuesday, October 14th, at Craven Community College’s Main Campus.

More than 900 fifth graders from across the district had an exciting, hands-on opportunity to explore a variety of career pathways, including public safety, healthcare, technology, transportation, and more.

"The C.O.W. Fair is one of the most memorable highlights of their school year. It’s an opportunity for them to connect classroom learning to real-world careers and start dreaming about their future possibilities right here in Craven County," shares Ms. Holly Tolston, Director of CTE.

The C.O.W. Fair remains one of the most memorable highlights of the year, inspiring students to dream big while fostering connections between schools, businesses, and the community.

Congratulations to Our Middle School Golf Teams! 

On Tuesday, October 14th, Craven County Schools held its Middle School Golf Season Championship at New Bern Golf and Country Club, marking the second year of our county’s newly re-established middle school golf program!

All five middle schools proudly fielded teams this season, with matches hosted at River Bend, The Emerald, and Taberna.

Over the past several weeks, excitement and enthusiasm have filled every round, from players and coaches to families and spectators, all supporting efforts to grow junior golf in Eastern North Carolina (ENC).

With golf back in our middle schools, the program continues to build character, leadership, and athletic skill, creating long-term success both in the classroom and on the course. A huge thank-you to all the coaches, volunteers, and families who made this season possible!

 Boys Division:

 H.J. MacDonald and Tucker Creek tied for the team title

 Patrick Driscoll (Tucker Creek) – Medalist

 Nick Philipps (H.J. MacDonald) – Second Best Score

 Girls Division:

 Grover C. Fields – Team Winner

 Sonja Jackson – Medalist

 Layla Jackson – Second Best Score

Congratulations to all our student-athletes for an incredible season! 

The Craven County Schools ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) Program was the recent recipient of the "English as a Second Language" Grant from

the English Speaking Union Craven County chapter. This $1000 grant will provide literacy materials to help students achieve a better understanding and application of the English language. We appreciate the opportunities provided by our community partners to support our district's students.

Pictured: Ms. Betsy Gatchel, Director of Student Programming & Mr. Rick Stout, Interim Superintendent

Craven County Schools Celebrates National School Lunch Week

with Guest Servers and Global Flavors

Craven County Schools celebrated National School Lunch Week (October 14–17, 2025) with a fun and flavorful theme “Taste the World: Your School Lunch Passport!”

Throughout the week, students enjoyed international-inspired menu items while learning about the importance of healthy, balanced meals. Each day highlighted a different part of the world with themed dishes:

• 🌮 Tuesday: Mexico – Here We Go
• 🍝 Wednesday: Italy – You Make Me Hungry
• 🍜 Thursday: Dinner in China
• 🍔 Friday: America the Beautiful

To close out the week, Craven County Schools Nutrition Services welcomed special guest servers on Friday, October 17, who helped serve meals and celebrate the incredible work of the district’s school nutrition staff. Guest servers included Board of Education Members, district employees, Havelock Mayor Will Lewis, Register of Deeds Joshua Kohr, and members of the New Bern Woman’s Club.

The celebration highlighted the creativity and dedication of the School Nutrition team while giving students a chance to experience new cultures through food. National School Lunch Week served as a reminder of the vital role nutritious meals play in helping students stay focused, energized, and ready to learn.

Craven County Schools extends a big thank-you to its School Nutrition staff and community partners for making the week such a memorable success, one delicious bite at a time!

Deadline for NC College Connect: January 2, 2026

The deadline for students to accept direct admission offers through NC College Connect is January 2, 2026. After this date, direct admission through NC College Connect will no longer be available, but students may still apply through the traditional route.

Student Access via CFNC

• Eligible students from the final data pull can now log into their CFNC portal via www.NCCollegeConnect.org to view the tailored list of colleges and universities they are matched with based on their credentials.
• NOTE: Not every student will receive direct admission to each school. If there is a school your student is interested in but is not on their list, they may still apply through the traditional process. 
• Some students are eligible, but see an “ineligible" message when logging into CFNC.org. In most cases, this is due to mismatched contact information between the student’s CFNC and Infinite Campus accounts. To resolve this:
• Ask students to login to CFNC.org and check their CFNC Profile.
• All details must match exactly with what’s in Infinite Campus → name spelling (including spaces), punctuation (including hyphenated names) and student ID numbers must match exactly. 

If you have any questions or need additional support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child's counselor or NCCollegeConnect@dpi.nc.gov.

National Wreaths Across America Day is just around the corner on December 13, 2025 at 12:00 pm (Wreath Placement Immediately Following Ceremony) at New Bern National Cemetery. We're getting closer to our goal, and we need your help to make sure every veteran's grave at our local cemetery is honored with a wreath.

Why This Matters?

Every December, National Wreaths Across America Day brings our mission—Remember, Honor, and Teach—to life. Volunteers coordinate wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 5,200 locations across all 50 states, at sea, and abroad, honoring the service and sacrifice of our nation's veterans. Last year, more than 3 million veteran wreaths were placed nationwide!

At New Bern National Cemetery, there are 6,775 veterans to honor. Our goal is to place 6,775 wreaths this year, and we're currently 30% of the way there.

How You Can Help?

We're so close to reaching our goal at New Bern National Cemetery, and your support can make all the difference! Each wreath you sponsor brings us one step closer to honoring every veteran at this location.

Sponsor wreaths today by visiting Where Most Needed and clicking the Red Sponsor button. Every contribution helps us get closer to placing 6,775 wreaths and ensuring no veteran is forgotten.

Thank you for helping us honor every American hero—your support makes a meaningful difference!

Sincerely,

Kevin Yates

NCNBNC - New Bern National Cemetery