BURGAW, NC - Kathryn Bates was approved as South Topsail Elementary School Principal by the Pender County Schools Board of Education during the July 11, 2023 meeting.
Ms. Bates graduated from Catawba College in 2010 and began teaching in August of 2010 at Hanford Dole Elementary School for Rowan Salisbury Schools. It was during her time as a teacher, she began working diligently to create opportunities for the school and the surrounding community to work together in an effort to create a meaningful partnership.
While leading these endeavors, a passion ignited from within that propelled her to seek more leadership opportunities. She applied and was accepted into the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program in 2017. As a scholarship recipient, she was able to work with a cohort of 25 aspiring principals across North Carolina and acquire knowledge and skill sets applicable to school leadership. She graduated from UNC Charlotte with her Masters in School Administration in May 2020. She served as an Assistant Principal for East Rowan High school for two years before coming to Pender County where she previously served as Assistant Principal at Topsail High School.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and watching/attending sporting events. She and her husband (Dominique Bates- CTE Director of Pender County) have a beautiful 5-year-old daughter named AnnaMarie. They are now residents of Hampstead, NC and love being outdoors and living near the beach. She is grateful for the warm welcoming the staff and community at South Topsail Elementary School has given her, and looks forward to being a contributing member of the Hampstead community.
