CHCCS Announces New Principal for Chapel Hill High School

SCHOOLS

Posted by Michelle Cassell
Managing Editor

At the November 2 Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of  Education meeting, Dr. Steven Sullivan was appointed the new principal of Chapel Hill High School.  Dr. Sullivan, a three-time principal of the year in North Carolina, comes to CHCCS from his most recent position as principal of North Brunswick High School (Brunswick County Schools).

Dr. Sullivan will take over from interim principal Shelba Levins, who has been in place since the summer.  The prior permanent principal, Charles Blanchard, stepped down last February after serving more than four years at CHHS.

“I am absolutely thrilled to become a member of the Chapel Hill High School and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City  Schools’ (CHCCS) family,”  Sullivan said in a  CHCCS press release. “Having the opportunity to join a school and a district that are among the best in the state and the country is a tremendous honor. During the interview process, I had the pleasure of meeting with members of several stakeholder groups. From this experience alone, I saw firsthand the maturity of the students, the supportiveness of the parents, the dedication of the staff, and the student-centered focus of the district. As a lifelong educator, this is a dream come true.”

His start is set for January 2024, at the beginning of the second semester. Ms. Shelba Levins will continue to serve as associate principal, while Ms. Ally Scercy and Mr. Dorian Lockear will continue to serve as assistant principals.

Dr. Sullivan comes to Chapel Hill with over two decades of school leadership experience. At North  Brunswick High School, where Dr. Sullivan was the Brunswick County Schools 2021-22 Principal of the  Year, Advanced Placement enrollment increased by 125%, Career and College Promise enrollment  (which allows high school students to dual-enroll in college classes) went up by 50%. The on-time graduation rate was over 80% each year. 

Before North Brunswick, he served as principal at Isaac Bear Early College High School and John T.  Hoggard High School, where he was named the 2016-17 New Hanover County School Principal of the  Year. He also served as principal at Heide Trask High School, where he was named the 2009-10 Pender  County Schools Principal of the Year. Dr. Sullivan was also a Chinese Language crypto-linguist in the  United States Air Force before most of his service in public education.

Dr. Sullivan graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s degree in  Secondary Education with a concentration in English. He followed that by earning a Master’s in  Foundations of Education from Troy State University (AL) and a Doctorate in Education with a  concentration in Curriculum Development and Systemic Change from Nova Southeastern University (FL), according to a press release provided by Andy Jenks, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Chief Communications Officer.

Michelle Cassell is a seasoned reporter who has covered everything from crime to hurricanes and local politics to human interest over the course of 35 years. As managing editor, she hopes to encourage writers of a wide range of backgrounds and interests in TLR’s coverage of Southern Orange County news.