Hunter says goodbye after 32 years with county schools

After 32 years as a teacher, assistant principal and later acting principal, Kevin Hunter has decided to hang up his many hats and retire.

Hunter began his teaching career in Sampson County as the physical education and health teacher at Hobbton Elementary and Hobbton Middle schools. Later, he would become the assistant principal at the Hobbton Middle School before making his way to Hargrove Elementary School to become its leader.

He would later become the principal for Hobbton Middle School and then Lakewood High School.And then, he became the principal of Midway Middle School, where his career in education would see its end.

“I was principal at four different schools in three different districts in the county,” Hunter said during a recent interview, “so that allowed me to meet a lot of good people and work with a lot of different students.”

Beth Elmore, who is the new principal of Plain View Elementary School but worked as the assistant principal of Midway Middle with Hunter for the past five years, said working under him gave her an “opportunity to grow,” and that he taught her many lessons she’ll be able to use later in her career.

She said that working with him was a “dream team” because he was “cool under pressure” while she was always ready to “make a move.”

Mostly, she reiterated that Hunter was a great principal, and she was happy to have been able to work with him because of this. But it’s not just Elmore who will be missing the long-time educator.

He admittedly will miss the other faculty members that he worked with, and the students he was able to see grow and succeed.

“The interactions with the other faculty members and the students. Working with the students and seeing them grow and succeed, that’s the biggest part, and the most rewarding part,” he said.

But at the end of his time with Sampson County Schools, Hunter has been able to reflect on his journey, including what the biggest change from a teacher to a principal has been.

“The biggest thing is you, I mean, you went from just taking care of the kids in your classroom and helping out at school to now you’re responsible for everything and everybody at school. So, it just kind of broadened responsibilities and broadened impact you could have as an educator,” he pointed out.

His most memorable moment?

“One of the biggest highlights was when I was still teaching and coaching. I was able to come back and coach with the coaches that coached me, and then we actually won the state championship in football in 1993. So that’s something that was always memorable,” he said.

But for those who are looking to go into education and become a principal ,themselves, he left one last piece of advice — be consistent and fair.

“With your dealing with coworkers, students, parents, it’s important to be consistent and fair. And the one thing I always try to talk to our staff about is the number one thing they keep in mind is what’s best for students,” he said. “What’s best for students may not always be best for the adults in the building, but that’s why we’re there.”

He also wanted to thank Sampson County Schools for his time in the system and for the opportunity to work with so many fine educators along the way.

“I appreciate Sampson County Schools and what they’ve provided me, and being able to work with so many outstanding educators throughout the 32 years, cause I’ve had some great role models when I first became an assistant principal and when I was teaching,” he attested.

As for what he’s going to do with his retirement, Hunter isn’t quite sure. He knows that in the next few months he’ll be going to the beach and catching up with things around the house, but as for what comes after, he said he’ll just have to “wait and see.”