Principal - Nick Paquette
Assistant Principal - John Bryant
A native of Brunswick County, Mr. Bryant has served as Assistant Principal at Pender High since 2021. Mr. Bryant earned his Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Social Science from Fayetteville State University. In addition, he earned his Master's degree in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment along with an Educational Specialist degree Administrator Leadership.
Mr. Bryant lives in Bolivia and is the father of Alexa, Ian, Tierra and Toni. He is an avid Raiders and Tar Heels fan. He enjoys fishing, high school and college baseball, video games and driving 18 wheelers.
Mr. Bryant's leadership philosophy: "I will help create an inclusive environment to encourage progress and collaboration in order to improve instructional outcomes for all students. I will communicate high expectations while providing support to the school community members in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for students."
Assistant Principal - Philip Eakins
Philip Eakins (Gardner) has served Pender County Schools for over 17 years. Being a teacher in his native county, he taught grades 6 through 8 physical education and health classes in addition to teaching 8th-grade social studies. He coached Pender High Girls' varsity basketball for four years and coached softball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, and football. In 2011 and 2015, Gardner was selected as the West Pender Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Gardner serves as an assistant principal intern at Cape Fear Elementary for the upcoming school year. In this role, he is learning how to execute administrative duties related to student achievement, testing, transportation, discipline, and the overall functions of managing and leading a school community. He will graduate from this program in May 2023.
As an ECU Pirate Leadership Academy Principal Fellow, Gardner looks forward to honing his educational and administrative leadership skills to support teachers and influence high student engagement and achievement. He also hopes to learn best practices in building and nurturing a strong school community with all stakeholders.