CCS-America Celebrates Halloween

Halloween festivities were in full swing across CCS-America schools last Friday as our campuses held their annual Trunk or Treat celebrations. This tradition is always a favorite and is highly anticipated by students, staff, families, and community participants.

Families and community members packed each campus with their festively decorated cars. Students put on their costumes and made their way from trunk to trunk collecting treats and goodies. Once again, decorators wowed us with their creativity, turning their cars into colorful, spooky, and imaginative displays.

A special thank you to all families, staff, and members of our community who helped make this year’s events memorable and special for our students! We appreciate your help in once again making this CCS-America tradition successful.

Use the links below to see pictures from each Trunk or Treat event:

CCS-Leland

CCS-Southport

CCS-Whiteville

CCS-Wilmington

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2026 Soccer Champions: CCS-Leland!

After another exciting and competitive middle school soccer season, both the CCS-Leland girls’ and CCS-Leland boys’ teams have come out on top! Both teams had outstanding seasons, finishing undefeated and earning their titles through determination and teamwork.

We are very proud of all our CCS-America soccer players for their hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship throughout the season. Each team did a great job representing their campus and displaying true CCS-America values.

Congratulations to our champions and all our student athletes! Thank you to our coaches, referees, and administration for their time and effort.CCS-America middle school sports are far from over. Basketball season will begin November 17th, with the first game at CCS-Leland against CCS-Southport. Come cheer on your team!

Click below to view the full CCS-America 2026-2027 sports calendar:

CCS-America Sports Calendar

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Students of the Month: Humility

Virtue is an important part of CCS-America’s unique classical curriculum. In their weekly Foundations of Virtue class, students learn more about the meaning of our school pledge and the virtues that it highlights. Each month, students from each grade level are recognized for consistently displaying the specific virtue they spent the month learning about and practicing.

October’s virtue was Humility. Humble students have an accurate, unbiased view of themselves, recognizing both their strengths and limits without arrogance. They know what they are good at, own their mistakes, and accept where they need to grow. This virtue is shown in the school pledge as “I pledge to be virtuous in all my deeds.” Students show humility by being open to learning, listening carefully to others, admitting when they are wrong, and celebrating the achievements of both themselves and those around them.

Congratulations to all students who were recognized for their humility! Check out October’s honorees at the links below:

CCS-Leland

CCS-Southport

CCS-Whiteville

CCS-Wilmington

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Quarter 2 is Here!

Welcome back for Quarter 2! We are excited for another great quarter of learning, growth, and success at CCS-America.

Mark your calendars for these important upcoming events:

Be sure to stay up to date with CCS-America’s 2026-2027 school calendars:

Academic Calendar

Sports Calendar

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CCS-America Art Students Win Brunswick County Contest

Students from CCS-Leland and CCS-Southport were among the top prize-winners in Brunswick County’s annual Intercultural Arts Festival, an event that showcases aspects of the different cultures that make up the Brunswick County and Southeastern NC communities.

Students across Brunswick County are eligible to compete in the art festival’s Poster Contest, creating posters aligned with a specific theme. This year’s theme was “Imagery of a specific culture.”CCS-America’s classical curriculum includes a strong emphasis on art and its importance. All students attend a weekly art class as part of the resource program. Middle school students can choose to take an additional ‘Advanced Art’ class as one of their electives.

Students from CCS-Leland and CCS-Southport participate in this contest every year. This year, students from both campuses earned top honors across multiple age divisions, including Margo Malpass from CCS-Leland placing first in the Elementary Poster Contest!

Check out the winners from CCS-America schools below:

Elementary Poster Contest:

1st place- Margo Malpass– CCS-Leland

2nd place- Cooper Malpass– CCS-Leland

3rd place- Mark Benton– CCS-Leland

Middle School Poster Contest:

2nd place- Bella Brazeal– CCS-Southport

3rd place- Leah Gauldin– CCS-Leland

Congratulations to these students for their creativity and hard work. We are very proud of the way you represented CCS-America and our art program!

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Happy National Principals Month!

October is National Principals Month! We are proud to celebrate our outstanding, hard-working CCS-America Headmasters. They do so much to support their students and help ensure their success, both inside and outside of the classroom.

The next time you see your Headmaster or Assistant Headmaster, be sure to thank them and let them know how much you appreciate all they do.

Mrs. Laurie Benton, CCS-Leland Headmaster

Mrs. Erin Irving, CCS-Leland Assistant Headmaster

Mrs. Leslie Smith, CCS-Wilmington Headmaster

Mrs. Amanda Sauls, CCS-Southport Headmaster

Mrs. Kimberly Patrick, CCS-Whiteville Headmaster

Mrs. Leslie Strickland, CCS-Whiteville Assistant Headmaster

We also want to give a special shout-out to Mrs. Irving, who has done an amazing job during her first few months as CCS-Leland’s Assistant Headmaster. We look forward to seeing the positive impact she will continue to make in this position.

Headmasters, thank you for everything you do. You are a huge part of what makes CCS-America so great!

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We the People… of CCS-America

On September 17, 1787, the United States Constitution was signed by delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

239 years later, each CCS-America campus held its annual Constitution Day celebration to honor and celebrate this historic event. Students marched and cheered in campus-wide parades and participated in activities to learn more about the principles and freedoms that make our country unique. Each classroom created a poster to display in the parade, adding creativity and school spirit to the celebration.

Many special guests joined the parades, including ROTC members and marching bands from local high schools, fire trucks, police cars, CCS-America Employees of the Year, and even James Madison, the Father of the Constitution! He gave a short speech about the history of this important document and marched in the parade.

Students spent the day celebrating, learning, and reflecting on the powerful opening of our Constitution: “We the People.”

Constitution Day Photos

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25 Years Later: Remembering 9/11

In honor of the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, students and staff came together to remember and reflect on the lives impacted by this tragic day.

Campuses began the morning gathered together for the Pledge of Allegiance, our School Pledge, a patriotic song, and a moment of silence to honor the victims, first responders, and families affected by the attacks.

Throughout the day, students participated in lessons and watched videos that helped them better understand the significance of 9/11 and its lasting impact on our country. As we recognized this milestone anniversary, students demonstrated respect and gratitude while honoring the courage and sacrifice that took place on one of America’s most difficult days.

September 11 Assembly Pictures:

CCS-Leland

CCS-Southport

CCS-Whiteville

CCS-Wilmington

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Staff Spotlight: Katie Boyce Runs in the 9/11 Promise Race

We are proud to recognize our school social worker, Katie Boyce, for participating in a relay race from the Pentagon to Ground Zero to support the 9/11 Promise organization. The race honors those affected by the events of 9/11 and raises scholarship money for the children of fallen and injured first responders. This year, over $160,000 was raised and fundraising efforts are ongoing.

The journey covered 240 miles and brought together runners and supporters from seven states, including Ms. Boyce. They stopped at 25 firehouses along the route. At each stop, they held a special ceremony featuring a historic flag that was raised at Ground Zero shortly after the attacks and placed a piece of steel from the World Trade Center towers at the base of the flagpole.

Katie shared that one of the most impactful parts of the experience was hearing from guest speakers, including first responders, military veterans, and a recipient of a 9/11 Promise Scholarship.

“We came together across seven states for one reason,” Katie reflected, “to remember those we lost, honor those who served and continue to serve, and keep the promise to their families.”

We are grateful to have team members like Katie who embody service, compassion, and a commitment to honoring the sacrifices of others.

Learn more about the 9/11 Promise

Watch Katie run on the news!

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A GRAND Morning with Grandparents!

National Grandparents Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year, it fell on September 13th. To honor this special day and celebrate the important role grandparents play in the lives of our students, CCS-Whiteville hosted a “Grand Morning with Grandparents,” where all grandparents had the special opportunity to spend time with their grandchildren, enjoy breakfast together, visit classrooms, and participate in CCS-America’s daily pledges.

Thank you to all the grandparents and family members who came out for this fun and memorable morning! We had a great time sharing the many exciting things happening at CCS-Whiteville and creating memories together.

GRANDparents Day Photos

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CCS-Leland Students Win 1st and 2nd Place Honors in Statewide History Contests

Two CCS-Leland students earned high honors in the annual youth history contests sponsored by the North Carolina chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).

The SAR is an organization dedicated to preserving America history, promoting patriotism, and educating future generations about Revolutionary history. Each year, they hold contests at the regional, state, and national levels that challenges students to research a Revolutionary War topic and creatively showcase their knowledge.

This year, Stella Lynch earned first place in the state poster contest for her project on the Battle of Moore’s Creek. Cheyenne Cummings received second place in the state brochure contest for her project on the Bill of Rights. Both students were rewarded with monetary prizes for their exemplary work.

After advancing from the regional competition, both students impressed judges with their historical knowledge, creativity, and attention to detail.

“We are incredibly proud of Stella and Cheyenne for their hard work and outstanding accomplishments,” said Jessica Lopez, Dean of Classical Humanities at CCS-America. “These contests provide students with an opportunity to engage deeply with our nation’s history, and it is exciting to see their hard work recognized at the state level. They have represented CCS-Leland exceptionally well and have continued CCS-America’s growing tradition of excellence in the SAR contests.”

Congratulations, Stella and Cheyenne! Your CCS-America family is proud of you and your dedication to American History!

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Soccer Season Kicks Off!

It’s finally here! The CCS-America middle school soccer season has begun and this year is already looking to be a great one.

Following tryouts, 6th-8th grade students were selected for their teams in early August and have spent the time since then working hard, practicing, and preparing for upcoming games. The competition began last week, with players not only demonstrating their soccer skills, but also their good sportsmanship, an important part of CCS-America’s Foundations of Virtue curriculum and a trait coaches make sure to emphasize.

Congratulations to CCS-Leland for winning the two opening games! We are very proud of all our teams and are excited for another year of competitive games, fun competition, and school spirit.

Be sure to cheer for your team at the next soccer game, Thursday, September 10th at the Southport campus when CCS-Whiteville takes on CCS-Southport. Check the Middle School Sports calendar for more information.

Soccer Game Pictures

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Back to School Community Events

Our campuses celebrated the start of an amazing new school year with their annual Back to School Community Events! These events are a school and community favorite and are always highly anticipated by families, staff, and prospective students.

CCS-Whiteville and CCS-Wilmington held their events after school on August 14th. CCS-Leland hosted theirs on August 27th, while CCS-Southport held the final event on August 28th. While each event was unique and had its own special elements, each campus welcomed families and local community members for an evening filled with food, vendors, games, bounce houses, and a whole lot of fun.

The community also had an opportunity to learn more about CCS-America and what makes our classical curriculum so successful. Each event also had a ‘curriculum fair’ where families were able to take a deeper look at all aspects of CCS-America.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made the events ones to remember!

Check out pictures of the fun at each campus:

CCS-Leland

CCS-Southport

CCS-Whiteville

CCS-Wilmington

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Starting the Year Strong

We are two weeks into the new school year, and things are off to a fantastic start! Classrooms at all four campuses are already buzzing as students get back into their routines and prepare for new opportunities to grow.

In Kindergarten, our youngest learners are learning about, and becoming familiar with, school life. In middle school, students are diving into their coursework and preparing themselves for the future. Teachers and staff have worked hard to cultivate welcoming learning environments, setting the stage for a successful year.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, outstanding students, and supportive families for making this transition back to school so seamless. We are excited to see what the school year has in store!

First Week Photos

We are still accepting applications in select grade levels across all four campuses! If you know a family looking for the best quality education, encourage them to visit www.EnrollRBA.com. If the applicant puts your name in the referral section of the application, you will receive a $25 ShopRBA gift card. Help us grow the CCS-America family.

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Introducing Foundations of Virtue

The Character Education program has always been an important part of CCS-America’s curriculum. This year, we are excited to launch Foundations of Virtue, a new curriculum that expands and enhances our previous program.

The purpose of this enhancement is to help students better understand the virtues recited daily in our School Pledge. The new lessons reinforce the idea that the pledge is more than words— it is a promise kept through daily actions.

To help make these virtues meaningful and memorable, students will study historical figures and literary characters, such as George Washington and Florence Nightingale, who demonstrated virtues such as truthfulness, prudence, justice, courage, temperance, and faithfulness through their actions.

Because Foundations of Virtue is synchronized with both our history and literature curriculum timelines, students will learn how people they are studying exemplified these character traits. Students will learn by example that strong character is built by consistently choosing what is true, wise, and good, preparing them to put into practice the virtues they pledge to uphold each day.

Our Student of the Month ceremonies will also reflect this change. The virtues recognized each month will now align with the Foundations of Virtue curriculum.

 Our goal is to help students understand the words of the pledge, remember worthy examples, and practice virtue in their daily lives.

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Investing in Excellence

Before students returned to campus, teachers and staff were hard at work preparing to make this a great school year. Over two weeks in July, all educators participated in an extensive professional development program that went beyond just our Staff Orientation Day. The training focused on a variety of important topics, including curriculum, classroom instruction, school safety, technology, and student support.

These sessions were tailored to specific grade levels and subject areas. Teachers collaborated with colleagues, explored effective strategies, and planned for strong student outcomes. They also participated in workshops covering classroom management, student engagement, and the principles of classical education.

At CCS-America, we believe that great schools are built by great educators who are committed to continuous growth. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication as we begin another exceptional year of learning and academic excellence.

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