Tuesday night, at the May meeting of the Macon County Board of Education, Macon County Superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin completed the final board meeting of his more than 30 year career in public education. While three decades is an impressive feat in and of itself, with the May meeting being held at Nantahala School, Dr. Baldwin finished his career serving the Macon County School system in the very same building, at the very same school where he begin his career as a teacher – and even deeper than that – in the very same building, at the very same school, where Baldwin begin his public education journey – as a kindergarten student.
Dr. Baldwin took the reigns of the Macon County School system as Superintendent 10 years ago, taking his official oath of office in the boardroom of the central office on July 1, 2013.
“In the state of North Carolina a superintendent serving for 10 years is almost unheard of in today’s world,” Macon County Board of Education Chairman Jim Breedlove said. “It really truly is. I think it speaks to how successful and just how good Dr. Baldwin has been in his work as superintendent.”
Dr. Baldwin spent the entirety of his career as an educator working in Macon County – the same school district where he attended kindergarten through 12th grade.
“It is rare I think for someone to have been able to attend 12 years in a school system and then have only ever worked in one school system,” said Baldwin. “I’m honored to have had that opportunity here.”
Prior to being named Superintendent in 2013, Dr. Baldwin served as Principal of Franklin High School, filling the giant shoes left by longtime Principal Gary Shields in 2010 following Shields retirement from the position he held for 21 years. Prior to Franklin High School, Dr. Baldwin served the district as the Principal of Nantahala School — a position he earned in 2001 after first working in the school as the School Suspension teacher for teachers and then as the science teacher for 7th through 12th grade.
Dr. Baldwin also served as the basketball coach for Nantahala for a decade in the early 90s, not too many years after he was playing on the same court as a high school senior. Baldwin graduated from Nantahala High School in 1986, 12 years after he first became a Hawk as a kindergarten student. After high school Baldwin attended Western Carolina University to pursue his career in teaching and aside from completing his student teaching at Murphy High School, his entire career as existed within Macon County. Being an educator has been a family affair for Dr. Baldwin. After also graduating from Nantahala School, Dr. Baldwin’s father also pursued a career as an educator.
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