Burke County Board of Education member Wendi Craven has been tapped to lead Hickory High School, effective July 1.
Her appointment was one of four new principals named by the Hickory Board of Education on Monday, June 10. The board met in closed session to discuss personnel before the formal vote in open session.
“I’m so excited. I’ve learned so much from being on the board, but I decided that I still have the passion in me. My passion is education and I do love it,” said Craven.
Craven said the new appointment will not impact her role on the Burke County Board of Education. The leadership at Hickory City Schools is aware that she is still an active member, and she will complete her tenure, which expires in November.
She lost to her primary challenger, Jeffrey Reid Beck, in March. Beck received 54% of the votes to Craven’s 46%. Craven was elected to the Burke County BOE in 2019.
“I’ve been praying about this for a long time. When I didn’t get reelected to the board, I knew that God had another plan for me. I applied and waited patiently,” said Craven. “I got the call Friday night asking if I would accept the position. I gladly accepted.”
Craven says she applied for the position in March shortly after losing the primary.
Craven met with the leadership team at Hickory High this week to prepare for the position. She also has several meetings scheduled to take place between now and her start date.
Craven will replace Rebecca Tuttle, Hickory High’s principal of five years. Tuttle announced her departure at Hickory High’s graduation on Friday, May 31.
When asked if she considered returning to Burke, she said, “With the current board coming in, I just didn’t feel it would be beneficial to me.”
Craven’s career in education in Burke spans over 18 years. She is a former special education teacher, Burke County principal, and former chair of the Burke County Board of Education. She’s worked at Table Rock Middle (four years), Patton (three years), Hildebran (six years), and North Liberty (five years).
Although Craven will be headed to Hickory High, she will remain a Burke County resident. Her final words, “Go Red Tornadoes!”
Charda Pearson is the education and business reporter for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595 or charda@thepaper.media.
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