KANNAPOLIS — A Charlotte school administrator will take over the top spot at Jackson Park Elementary School in July.
The Kannapolis City Board of Education has appointed Nicholas Carlascio to become the new principal.
He is currently the assistant principal of Steele Creek Elementary School. Prior to that, Carlascio was assistant principal and interim principal of Charlotte’s Walter G. Byers Elementary School and assistant principal of Whitewater Academy in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system.
As a teacher at Mallard Creek Elementary, he was a finalist for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Teacher of the Year honor.
He also was featured in a University City Magazine article about teachers who make a difference.
Since becoming a school administrator, Carlascio’s schools have had a record of academic success.
As assistant principal at Whitewater Academy, he helped lead the school to high academic growth in mathematics and achieving Adequate Yearly Progress in reading.
Whitewater Academy also achieved a 17 percent growth rate in the number of kindergarten through third grade students reading at grade level.
While assistant principal and interim principal at Walter G. Byers Elementary, Carlascio helped the school to achieve gains in reading, high growth status in fifth grade math and expected growth in overall academic performance.
In his role as assistant principal of Steele Creek Elementary, Carlascio has been instrumental in helping the school achieve high growth status in math and expected growth in overall academic achievement.
Carlascio has a background in working with teachers and helping schools achieve academic success.
“I believe that all students deserve to have a great teacher that truly cares for them and pushes them to strive for excellence,” he said in a press release. “I also think it’s important for schools to establish strong relationships with community partners as a way to promote excellent programs and student successes in the building.”
Dr. Pam Cain, the superintendent of Kannapolis City Schools, believes Carlascio will be an outstanding leader for Jackson Park Elementary School.
“Nicholas Carlascio is a dynamic and talented educator who is ready to succeed as principal of Jackson Park Elementary,” she said in a press release. “His energy and enthusiasm are tremendous, and he has wonderful skills in working with teachers, students and parents.
“He will be an excellent addition to our leadership team, and we are very excited that he is joining Kannapolis City Schools.”
Nicholas Carlascio earned his master’s in school administration from Gardner Webb University and his bachelor’s in childhood education and special education from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y.
He will replace Beth Marshall, who resigned in April to take on the role of executive director of Project L.I.F.T., a $55 million initiative to improve Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ West Charlotte corridor.
Project L.I.F.T, which stands for Leadership and Investment For Transformation, focuses on closing the achievement gap by implementing additional services and education enhancements such as technology at West Charlotte High School and the middle and elementary schools that feed into it.
Nancy Barbee is interim principal at Jackson Park until Carlascio begins in July.