Meet Mitzi Story, Principal

Joined Team CCS - August 1993

Experience 
I have worked in public education within Catawba County Schools for 23 years at both the school and district levels. I began my teaching career at Claremont Elementary as an exceptional children's teacher teaching in resource and inclusion settings. I then moved to the district level to become an EC program specialist, where I worked directly with EC teachers, administrators, and the families of students who were experiencing academic and emotional difficulties. In this role, I assisted with the evaluation process, facilitated IEP meetings to determine student eligibility and audited federal and state paperwork. In 2005, I applied for and received the Principal Fellows Scholarship. I was able to take an educational leave to pursue my degree in school administration. Upon graduation, I was offered an assistant principal position at Claremont Elementary School, where I served one year. I then moved to Mill Creek Middle School and served as the assistant principal for five years. In the spring of 2013, I was given the opportunity to become the principal of Murray Elementary, where I served 3 years before coming to my current position as principal of Tuttle Elementary. Catawba County Schools has been a wonderful place for me to grow as a leader.  

Education 
B.S. Special Education
M.A. School Administration

Why I Became an Educator 
I was originally drawn to the field of education because of my grandmother. She was an exceptional children’s teacher at Conover School. In this role she worked with the most disabled population. She would share stories of the things that would happen within her class, and as she spoke, I could hear the love and compassion she had for her students. She was the most patient person, and I admired her selflessness. She always held high expectations for them and pushed them to do their very best. On some occasions I would be allowed to go to school with her and assist in her room. It was then that I knew I wanted to work with special needs students. I was able to work at Conover School's summer program several years while in college, and those are still some of my most favorite memories.  

Favorite Place in Catawba County
My favorite place is dinner on my back porch with family and friends.

Favorite Activities
I love being outside - working in my yard, walking and playing tennis are just a few of my hobbies.

Anything Else You Want Us To Know?
I was fortunate to graduate from Bandys High School and bring home 3 State Championship  (1 softball, 2 basketball).

I joined Catawba County Schools because I wanted the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students with special needs.

Meet Jordan Goodson, Assistant Principal

Joined Team CCS - August 2012

Experience 
I started my educational journey in 2010. I was selected as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow recipient, and earned my B.A. from UNC-Charlotte. Being a Teaching Fellow offered me additional educational experiences over the course of four years. After graduation, I remained at Pitts School Road Elementary in Concord, NC, where I had done my student teaching during the last semester of college. I taught 2nd grade there for two years before moving back to Catawba County. I began to work for Maiden Elementary School in 2012, teaching 2nd grade again. While at Maiden Elementary, I taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. In 2018, I became Assistant Principal at Tuttle Middle School. As anyone, I have plans and aspirations to do more in education, but for now, I'm extremely happy being the A.P. here at Tuttle and have no plans to leave any time soon!  

Education 
B.S. Elementary Education, K-6 - University of North Carolina at Charlotte
M.A. Executive Leadership - Gardner Webb University 

Favorite Teacher 
When I was in the 8th grade, I had a history teacher named Joel Beard. He remains my biggest influence in teaching today, although there are so many great teachers that I was able to be taught by. Mr. Beard brought a different expectation to his classroom. He focused on getting to know every student fully. His teaching style was that of just talking to us like we all had great meaning to him, communicating with all of us in a different way than anything I had witnessed previously. I would watch as his approach to discipline was handled with both trust and grace. I don't think there was anyone that I met who didn't have the highest of admiration for Mr. Beard. Because of him, I thoroughly enjoyed going to class, which is a hard thing for kids to say sometimes. I still run into Mr. Beard from time to time. I've never told him that he was part of the reason I went into education, but I was definitely one of his biggest fans. ars while in college, and those are still some of my most favorite memories.  

Favorite Place in Catawba County
My favorite place? Lake Norman, Lake Hickory, any body of water is fine with me! There is nothing like jumping on a pontoon boat and riding around Lake Norman on a Friday evening. I enjoy house dreaming, and throwing out a line hoping for a bite. When we aren't busy dreaming or trying to catch a fish, you can find us in some back channel, anchored down, listening to some country music and enjoying a moment of not being so busy. It's one of the most relaxing places that I enjoy going. 

Favorite Activities
I enjoy remodeling houses, building furniture, and traveling to the NC mountains or SC beaches. I also enjoy hunting and fishing. One of my favorite summer activities has to be water tubing in the mountains. I am an avid lover of the Carolina Tar Heels and Carolina Panthers, and am currently still waiting for the Panthers to win the Super Bowl. 

Something Unique About Me
I had my tonsils taken out at age 29! The doctor said I would feel awful and lose a ton of weight because I wouldn't be able to eat. I did feel awful, but that didn't stop me from eating. I must have eaten 50 popsicles and 50 pounds of LoMein over two weeks. At the end of those two weeks, I had gained 4 pounds! 

 I wanted to play a small role to help give CCS students an even better education than what I had growing up here. Catawba County Schools is part of the reason I have achieved the success I have today, and I hope to pass that on to today's students!