Finch makes principal debut at Union

A new face has been added to the Union Elementary School staff. Melissa Finch is taking her 22 years of experience and bringing it to Sampson County Schools for the first time.

Finch, who has spent the past 22 years working in Johnston County, started her new role as the principal of Union Elementary School on July 1. She brings experience as an assistant principal of South Smithfield Elementary and assistant principal of West Johnston High School along with experience as a testing coordinator and curriculum coach.

This experience, she said, will only be able to help her grow Union Elementary School.

“I have been fortunate enough to be an assistant principal at the high school level as well as the elementary school level,” Finch said. “And I have also been part of a Title One School and restart school in Johnston County. So, I have a lot of varied experiences being an assistant principal. And I feel as if all those varied experiences have really prepared me to be in this seat.”

She said her time spent working at a high school has prepared her for the new role.

“There’s just something to be said for having an experience being at a high school level because you know what it is that the kids are headed toward,” Finch admitted.

But working as an assistant principal in an elementary school for the last few years has also helped her — especially since South Smithfield Elementary is not too different from Union Elementary School.

“The elementary school that I am coming from is very similar in demographics, things of that nature to what I’m here now at Union. And so, I feel like that is totally something that has prepared me and I feel like I’m just ready to step right in,” she said.

Finch did admit to being a mixture of nervousness and excitement. She said that while she’s always excited to start a new school year, coming to a new district is a nerve-wracking experience for her.

“I am coming from a different district, you know. It’s a new role, obviously. So, I want to make sure that I’m doing all I can to help this be a smooth transition and to make sure that the staff and students are taken care of,” she firmly stated.

She has a lot of goals she wants to accomplish, but the main one is following the vision that Sampson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jamie King has laid out.

“Our goal for this year is to just make sure we are following the vision of Dr. King. We are working toward making sure that we have some new curriculum implemented,” Finch said.

This, of course, is only to add to her goal of making sure the students are ready after they leave the elementary school to face middle and high school and pass.

“We need to be working very diligently to make sure that our kiddos are ready to go on to the intermediate and middle school and high school and beyond,” she said.

She also wants to be able to build up the Union District and its community. She saidshe has heard nothing but “wonderful things” and “how great the district is” and that she wants to keep it that way.

“I have been so welcomed,” she said warmly. “And so, you know, I want to continue to build on that vision and continue to build this community, especially with the other surrounding Union schools.”

Mostly, Finch is just happy to be back working at the elementary level.

“Oh, I’ve always been an elementary school person,” she said simply. “I pretended to be a high school person for about six years. But I started as an instructional assistant, actually, in an elementary school about 22 years ago.”

From there, Finch would teach at the elementary school level for 12 years before going to the high school and expanding her experience.

“After about six years of being in high school, I decided it was time to make a leap back to elementary school,” Finch stated. “So that’s really where my heart is the most — elementary school.”

Finch has a master’s degree in executive leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in English. She got a North Carolina Teacher’s Certification in K-6 from Campbell University.