Mallory Retires

By Mitchell Oakley 

LITTLEFIELD  — Dr. Barbara Mallory, principal at Ayden-Grifton High School for the past year, will retire on June 30, 2004. She has served public education for 31 years.

Her retirement was accepted in the personnel report on the agenda of the Pitt County Board of Education Tuesday night.

“I am just looking forward to it,” she said of her retirement. “And I know Ayden-Grifton is going in the right direction.”

Dr. Mallory replaced Bruce Gray, the former principal at the school last year. Gray was moved to W.H. Robinson School where he is today.

Mary Grace Bright, member of the Pitt County Board of Education representing the Sixth District, said of Dr. Mallory’s resignation, “I admire and respect Dr. Mallory's commitment to quality education for all children. I appreciate her hard work during the past year and wish her the very best in future endeavors.”

Bright added, “Our community must continue its efforts to improve all of our schools. This requires high expectations, quality performance and positive interaction of all students, teachers, parents and community members.”

She pointed out, “For our students to be successful the community must support our schools with positive encouragement, volunteering and the resources necessary to provide students the needed tools and environment for quality learning opportunities.”

Delano Wilson, a member of the Pitt County Board of Education who also represents the Sixth District, said, “I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment either way.”

Dr. Michael Priddy, Superintendent of Pitt County Schools, was also asked for comment on Dr. Mallory’s retirement.

Dr. Priddy said, “Perhaps the greatest challenge in public education today is providing leadership at the high school level. In many ways it is the most difficult role in public education. Because for many decades we have satisfied ourselves with mediocre academic instruction given the workforce generally did not require the types of skills essential in today’s work force.

“Every high school in America is in the midst of radical changes in the way the faculty thinks about school attendance, student behavior, advanced classes, and student performance.” 

Dr. Priddy added, “Ayden-Grifton High School is typical of the need to address these issues. I felt like the opportunity for someone of Dr. Barbara Mallory’s caliber to help move that school to those levels where our students would be competitive was the right thing to do at the right time. After a year’s service at the school Dr. Mallory’s retirement is unfortunate because she had been able to access the school’s needs in conjunction with faculty and parents and had come to realize that the kinds of changes needed are ones that she understood and with which she had direct experience. 

“I know this has been an unusually challenging year, especially for her and her decision to exercise the opportunity to retire disappoints me but does not completely surprise me.”

Dr. Priddy pointed out, “It is now my responsibility to choose someone who can pick up where she has left off and work with all members of the Ayden-Grifton community to envision, create, and implement a high school plan that we can be proud of in all ways, especially academically. I want to encourage the larger community to give serious thought to what will help the students at Ayden-Grifton to be successful in their post secondary education and work life. Any suggestions that member of the community would have for me would be welcomed and taken into consideration.”

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