Mrs. Castleberry earned her BS in Special Education at East Carolina University. She taught in Wake County Elementary Schools for seven years before landing a position as Assistant Principal at Powell GT Magnet Elementary in Raleigh, NC. During her tenure there, they won the prestigious Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Award for 1992-1993. She traveled to Washington DC to meet the Secretary of Education and President Bill Clinton on the White House Lawn.

Mrs. Castleberry was later appointed Principal at Carver Elementary in Wendell. The school was then a K-1 with only 250 students. She enjoyed the fun learning environment of that age group. Carver then grew into a new facility with grades Pre-K through 5. Under Mrs. Castleberry’s leadership, Carver Elementary also won the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Award in 1996-1997.

Mrs. Castleberry felt that she helped Carver Elementary grow and was ready for a new challenge. Wendell Middle seemed to be a perfect fit for her, close in proximity to her Carver students that would eventually become part of the Wendell Middle community. She hopes parents are more comfortable having a familiar principal at their childrens’ new school.

Mrs. Castleberry feels that her greatest accomplishment is being a mother of two boys. She feels fortunate to have a successful career that allowed her to work in the same school that her boys attended. She is active in her church as the Faith Formation Director, always committed to educating children.

Mrs. Castleberry’s vision for Wendell Middle is to build a community of learners that includes students, parents, a teachers and community members. We hope to provide an educational bridge from elementary school to high school with exciting middle school experiences during their three years with us. She hopes to continue the specialized interests of technology, math/science and leadership through Wendell Middle’s innovative classroom experiences. She hopes our school will nurture academic growth in our students to be successful learners in East Wake High and Knightdale High Schools through their specialized programs.