Bonus: Chat with Rochelle Middle School's TikTok Teacher - The Journey, Ep. 130-B

In our vlog's bonus edition, learn more about why Rochelle Middle School's TikTok Teacher - Ms. Kaylah Blount - got on the platform in the first place. And see how she uses TikTok as a reward for her students to learn math concepts.

Here's hoping Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey, and other celebrities pick up on the great things our "@FavoriteTeacherAlert" is doing in Kinston, NC. Special thanks to Lenoir County Public Schools for allowing her to continue pouring into our students in such a positive way.

Another G-14 Classified Project - The Journey, Ep 120

Gracie leads a secret, behind-the-scenes project, we find another mouse in the office, NJ mixes cheer and news, and Rae gets us the scoop.

BJ Murphy: LCPS Chairman Bruce Hill Admonishes Parents for Contacting Him

At the September 13th Lenoir County Public Schools board meeting, Chairman Bruce Hill admonished the public on when it’s appropriate to contact a school board member. He cited a chain of command, the need to go straight to the source, and emphasized the school board’s primary goal is to be policymakers. However, Mr. Hill seemingly chastises parents, guardians, and stakeholders for attempting in any type of way to hold school board members accountable. In an eye-opening statement, Mr. Hill says about the school board, “[we] aren’t as versed in education” and “we as board members we don’t know what goes on at the schools.”

blogBJ MurphySeptember 19, 2021bj murphy, lenoir county public schools, bruce hill

The Never-Ending State of Emergency

Roughly one year ago, Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency regarding COVID-19, and while an emergency is typically seen as a momentary crisis, this has been harnessed into the “new normal”, expanding bureaucratic control over citizens’ lives for an alarming period of time. Regardless of the continued state of emergency, our local officials are holding themselves to a different standard. The Kinston City Council and Lenoir County School Board continue to meet outside of their chambers and only through Facebook or Zoom. Are they afraid for their safety while asking their staff to be dismissive of their own? Are they worried about facing parents and the community in a real public forum again?

School Board Decision Paves Way for More Diversity

The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected everyone in 2020 and will affect us for years to come. I will leave some of the national debate about the economic stress, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or other issues to the pundits. On a local level, the recent potential 18-week decision by the Lenoir County School Board exposed a servant leadership deficit catching parents, teachers and even administrators by surprise.

Midnight Blog: Guess this approaching 40 thing is becoming a reality.

On Friday night I went to bed much earlier than usual. Guess this approaching 40 thing is becoming a reality. 🤣 However, I woke up in the middle of the night with multiple things weighing on my mind. Things like the Lenoir County School Board, my upcoming 40th birthday and the 2020 elections.

The Journey, Ep. 19 - 2019 Interns Victory Tour

Our 2019 Summer Interns joined me recently to discuss the integration of their education and professional goals with southeastern NC Career and Technical Education professionals who met at Kinston High School. The inaugural internship experiment at Neuse News and Magic Mile Media was a huge success because we all worked to match their skill sets and talents with projects for our companies and clients.

Three of our five interns (Gracie Herring, Parker Mitchell and Ethan Cahoon) discussed our program with these professionals and then we went back to our office and chatted about improvements for our 2020 Summer Internship Program.