School Board says farewell to Dr. Fisher

By Chuck Thompson | the Shelby Independent

Dr. Stephen Fisher is awarded the honor of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Jack Copeland, Executive Director of NC School Superintendents Association. | Chuck Thompson

Education – Monday’s Cleveland County Schools (CCS) Board of Education meeting was Dr. Stephen Fisher's last official regular scheduled public meeting as superintendent.

At the June 8 meeting Dr. Fisher gave his last superintendent update to the board.

On Feb. 27, 2026, Dr. Fisher announced his upcoming retirement and soon the process to find a new superintendent for CCS began in earnest. At a special CCS Board of Education meeting on May 26, Dr. Brian Hunnell was named Interim Superintendent with a 9-0 vote by the board.

At the regularly scheduled school board meeting on Monday night, Dr. Fisher was awarded the honor of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Jack Copeland, Executive Director of NC School Superintendents Association.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is one of the most prestigious honors granted by the Office of the Governor of North Carolina. It recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary, lifelong contributions to their communities and the state.

“Dr. Fisher exemplifies what it means to cultivate excellence, leaving a legacy that will continue to guide and inspire the district long into the future,” said Copeland, as he stood before the school board. It’s been an honor to work with Dr. Fisher as a member of the North Carolina School Superintendent’s executive board for the past six years. He’s brought that steady voice there...” Copeland lauded Dr. Fisher’s leadership and career over the past 30 years before presenting him with the honor.

“It’s among one of the most prestigious honors one can bestow,” explained Board of Education Chairman Joel Shores.

Shores said he joined the board about six years ago and felt like he had an axe to grind because he heard a lot of noise, but added “If we're not careful we can think we have an axe to grind, but dang, we have a great school system.”

He also thanked Fisher for being honest and fair, adding, “He always treats people the same regardless of who they are."

Board Member Gloria Sherman wished him all the best and thanked him for the support he showed to her, adding, “You’re a fighter for our school system and address what needs to be addressed, and you’re the coach. I think we’re going to reap the benefits for years to come of many things that you’ve done. It’s an honor to be here to have worked under and for you,” she said of her time as an educator and now as a board of education member.

“Dr. Stephen Fisher, who has dedicated 30 years to cultivating excellence in Cleveland County Schools. His commitment to education and our students’ growth has been truly inspiring,” lauded Ron Humphries. “Dr. Fisher has exemplified this throughout his tenure by setting a clear vision for our schools and ensuring that our students’ futures inform every decision they made… Dr. Fisher embodies the North Carolina state motto, ‘Esse quam videri - To be, rather than to seem.’

"His authenticity, humility and integrity shine through in everything he does, reminding us that true excellence comes from genuine commitment and character. As he embarks on the new chapter of his life and we prepare to move forward, let us remember the lessons he has taught us and strive to continue the journey of excellence he has so passionately championed.”

Board Member Danny Blanton spoke next, stating, “Well, I’ve been here through our ups and downs, the whole time. I guess I’m the oldest one. The whole time he’s been superintendent I’ve been sitting right here, and we’ve had our ups and we’ve had our downs. Congratulations that you made your time; and carry on, wherever you stop.”

(Dr. Fisher continued below...)

Ronnie Grigg added, “Well, I got to know you in four years, and you’ve always been there when I’ve needed to talk. You shared a lot of knowledge that I needed. Retirement? Well, the only thing I can say about retirement is I tried it’s not all it’s cut out to be. I think you’ll find that out. So, I feel like we will see you again at some point in time, somewhere in the school system; and you’ve been a friend and a good person to us. Thank you.”

Kenneth Ledford noted he has known Dr. Fisher the longest, stating, “I remember him at Kings Mountain High School, trotting in and out of the lunchroom. He’s always been there and always been on alert and always doing what he thought was best… You’re going to be busier now than you were then, than you are now. So just get ready. Best of luck to you and whatever you do, wherever you go.”

David Fisher noted he had been here least amount of time, stating Dr. Fisher had been helpful with him adjusting to being a school board member.  

“I want to thank Dr. Fisher because if anybody needed help, I needed it, David Fisher said. “And the information that he gave, I mean, I think all he did was spend time on the computer because I’ve got everything, the emails and everything was appreciated… I appreciate you, and appreciate the job you did for the students.”

“Dr. Fisher, I hope that didn’t seem like a funeral to you,” quipped Joel Shores as he explained Dr. Fisher didn’t want to make a big deal over his departure because he mentioned it would seem like his own funeral.

When Dr. Fisher gave his final superintendent update to the board, he presented them with five big things to remember.

“I just would like to extend my thank you. It’s a tremendous honor being awarded the order of Long Leaf Pine. That means a lot. I want to say thank you for 12 years. It was in this room 12 years ago that I accepted the job as superintendent. And it has been a wonderful ride for 12 years. Lots and lots of things that our school systems accomplished, lots of things that I’m really proud of from a student perspective, from a teacher staff perspective, from a school administrative perspective; from my vantage point, you get to see a lot of success. Sometimes it’s like a parent sitting back and watching your children perform. And there’s a lot of pride in seeing the great things that are happening in our school district.

“When I was hired as superintendent, I kind of coined the phrase, ‘I believe in Cleveland County Schools’ and I believe in Cleveland County Schools as much today as I exit my career, as I did when I started my career as superintendent. I believe in our young people. I believe in our students. I believe in the things that they have accomplished, the things that they are accomplishing, and the things that they will accomplish.

“I believe in our teachers and staff. We have phenomenal people leading our students every day. I believe in our administrators. I believe in the things that they’re doing and leading in their individual capacities and their leadership responsibilities across our district. I believe in our community. You know, I’m a ‘from here’ guy. And that’s important because you feel connected to here, you feel tied to here, you feel responsibility to the people in this community. And, so, I hope you’ll continue to really adopt and hold on to ‘I believe in Cleveland County Schools.’

“As many of you know, I teach Sunday school, and my Sunday school class is a good, large Sunday school class. But one of the things I do at the end of every Sunday school lesson is to have five big things. We go through the lesson, talk about scripture and talk about the Word, and leave with five big things. And so today, I’m going to leave you with five big things that not only I hope this board holds onto, but that our team holds on to, and I hope transcends in our community.

“So, number one is to encourage one another. Encourage one another. That command is biblical. Encourage them with your words, Encourage them with your deeds. Encourage them with your actions. Encourage, encourage, encourage. You know, our world needs so much encouragement now, and even sometimes when you fall short and things don’t go the way you hope they go, you can continue to encourage one another, every day.

“Number two, if I’ve said this one time, I’ve said it a million. Find good in one another. It’s easy to point blame. It’s easy to point the finger. It’s easy to criticize. And if you look on social media, in our world today, that is rampant. But, I encourage you to find good in one another. There is good in each of us. We have to look at that. We have to find that good. The Sunday School lesson this past week it was when Jesus healed the leper. He saw good, the leper was unclean, but Jesus knew there was good in there and made them clean. Find good in people. Find the good in people.

"Number three. Lavish one another with the fruits of the spirit. You know, I use that word, lavish, sometimes. And you think about lavish means you apply generously. There’s not enough. Don’t be a Scrooge with the fruits of your spirit. Apply those fruits. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith and self-control. There is no limit to that. Apply that lavishly in your work as board members, in our work at school and in our community.

"Trust one another. Sometimes trust is hard but trust one another. Trust the team, trust the process, trust them to do their work. We have an autonomy perspective here at Cleveland County Schools. We expect people to do their work from my job, my office, I’m not going to micromanage things throughout the district. You have to trust people because when you trust people, you invest in that; you get better results. And I would encourage you to continue to trust the team, trust the people, trust the process; trust the good things that are happening in our district.

"And last, but certainly not least, pull from our mission and vision about cultivating excellence. Cultivate one another. If you ask me how you cultivated excellence, an essential ingredient in cultivating excellence will be cultivating one another.

You say, well, that sounds like the five or four things you said before. And yeah, there’s a common thread that runs through those five encouragements that I have for you. And it’s not just for you as a board. It’s for all of us to cultivate one another, make one another better, continue to improve not just your own craft, but the craft of those around you.

"I can honestly say I have loved serving as Superintendent of Cleveland County Schools. It has been an awesome opportunity, and I appreciate the board in 2014 invested in me, giving me the opportunity to lead people, to lead processes, to lead our district. But really, it is for the superintendent’s perspective to partner with the wonderful people in our district to make things better for our students, our staff, our schools and our community. God bless you all. Thank you very much.”

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Chuck Thompson is the founder, reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent. 

June 9, 2026. The Shelby Independent.