CLINTON — Sampson County Schools’ own Brenda Nordin has been selected as the 2024 North Carolina Administrator of the Year by the esteemed North Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals (NCAEOP), with school system officials said was a testament to her unwavering commitment to education and the profound impact she has on the lives of students and educators.

The organization provides professional development opportunities, insurance, scholarships to its members as well as a legislative platform to promote input into all matters impacting matters of education in the state.

SCS officials said the prestigious recognition bestowed to Nordin, Sampson County Schools’ director of Teacher Support, “comes as a testament to Brenda’s exceptional dedication, expertise, and profound impact on education throughout her career.”

Since 1996, Nordin has been in Sampson County serving diligently for close to three decades.

Her roles have included two years teaching 2nd grade at Salemburg Elementary School and three years teaching 5th grade at Union Elementary School. Since 2001, Brenda has been an integral part of the SCS central office, contributing as a beginning teacher coordinator, and now overseeing beginning teachers and mentors and Arts education.

Nordin brings a wealth of experience to her current role, having previously served in various educational capacities across multiple states, including four years in Ohio as a 3rd and 4th-grade teacher; eight years in Iowa, as a 5th grade educator; three years in Alabama, as a director/principal of Pre-Kindergarten; and six years in Tennessee, again as a 5th grade educator.

She earned her master of School Administration and Curriculum & Instruction from UNC-Pembroke and her bachelor’s degree in education with a K-8 certification from Miami University of Ohio.

“We are extremely proud of Mrs. Nordin and the work she does for Sampson County Schools,” said SCS Superintendent Dr. Jamie King. “Her work with our beginning teacher program is second to none in North Carolina.”

Beyond the classroom, Nordin is deeply committed to her community where she serves as a member and past president of Clinton Kiwanis, a current board member of Sampson Arts Council and an active member of the Sampson County Library Board.

Nordin’s passion for education and service has not gone unnoticed. She has previously been recognized as the Sampson County AEOP of the Year and the 2017 State DPI Award for Exemplary Beginning Teacher Support Program recipient.

Nordin’s dedication to her students and the profound impact of her work is best captured in her own words: “When I see former students who have overcome challenges in their life and gone on to be a productive, successful adult it makes my heart happy.”

Furthermore, Nordin’s touching story of a student from Ohio exemplifies her unwavering commitment to her students’ well-being.

“While working in Ohio as a teacher, I had a student that would lose his scissors every day in class,” she reminisced. “Over the years, my mother would often recall the stories I shared with her about that student. During a conversation one day with my mom, she mentioned that the student’s dad had recently died. Fast forward several months later, I received a letter in the mail from that student. Enclosed was a check for $100 with a note that said he was settling his dad’s estate and wanted to share part of his money with me to buy scissors for kids so they would never be without scissors. You don’t realize the impact or influence you have as a teacher on the life of a young child.”