Mandy Gillis didn't just find her way to Maysville Elementary. By her own account, she was led there. After 26 years in education, including a difficult final year in Onslow County during Hurricane Florence that took a real toll on her health, Mandy stepped back and trusted that the right path would open. It did, in the most unexpected way, during a conversation at Vacation Bible School. She updated her application materials on the spot, and the rest, as they say, is history. Seven years later, she is the current Jones County Principal of the Year and describes every day at Maysville as something she absolutely loves.
Love and safety first
From day one, Mandy has operated on a simple but powerful mantra: when students walk through those doors, they need to feel loved and they need to feel safe. She hugs her kids in the mornings, tells them she loves them, and means it. She believes, and her school's results back it up, that when those two things are in place, everything else follows. Last year's EOG scores went through the roof. Her staff gets the same care. Mandy's job, as she describes it, is to stay out of their way and give them what they need to do the hard work.
Wacky Wigs, blue carpets, and wildly important goals
Maysville Elementary is a Leader in Me school, using Franklin Covey's framework to help students build lifelong leadership habits through the Seven Habits. But Mandy gave it a Mustang twist. Every Wednesday, students and staff go a little wacky, gather in the gym, and celebrate students who met their Wildly Important Goals. Those students walk a blue carpet while classmates cheer and the "paparazzi" snaps away. It is joyful, intentional, and working. Students learn to set real, specific goals, break them into steps, and celebrate growth at every stage.
Maysville Elementary's pursuit of Lighthouse School certification, a recognition from Franklin Covey for schools where leadership is authentic and pervasive, is now in the hands of reviewers. A team that includes Sean Covey's right-hand man recently spent a full day observing students and staff. The school is waiting on the word, and Mandy is already planning the celebration. In the meantime, the Mustangs keep doing what they do: strong, resilient, and thriving quietly in their corner of Jones County.
