'Middle school is an interesting place to be'

It took some time for Principal Steve Drye to find his life’s work. He decided to pursue medicine, then the law, but it was his teaching experience at a summer camp during college that finally led him to a career in education.

“I always liked school, but teachers would tell you that you ought to be an engineer or you ought to be a doctor; nobody ever said you ought to be a teacher,” Drye said. “But I wanted to do something that made a difference, that mattered. Once I figured it out, it was great!”

Drye has been an educator for more than 27 years and principal at Mint Hill Middle since 2011. He was recently named the Southeast Learning Community Principal of the Year and said it was a great honor to be recognized by his peers.

“Mr. Drye is an outstanding principal who cares about staff and students,” said Kim Schroeder, Southeast Learning Community superintendent. “He maintains a focus on instruction and reinforces high expectations for staff and students, all while fostering a positive school environment and creating a positive student experience for students at Mint Hill Middle School.  He is so deserving of this honor.”

A native Charlottean, Drye attended CMS schools and is a Garinger High graduate. He earned a biology degree from UNC Charlotte and attended UNC School of Law before earning his teaching credential from UNCC. He was an elementary school teacher at Hickory Grove and Bain, assistant principal at Blythe and Mallard Creek elementaries and principal at Steele Creek Elementary. In 2007, he opened Elon Park Elementary, which he said was an exciting challenge, both creatively and logistically. After four years, he was offered the chance to move to Mint Hill.

“Middle school is an interesting place to be,” Drye said. “It’s probably the most influential time in kids’ lives. It’s super important that all kids have great role models, but it’s really important at this age that they have role models who are fair and kind and like them, and understand that middle school kids don’t always make the best decisions.”

Drye said there were a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic when they struggled with test scores, despite the hard work of his staff. With a focus on engagement and building relationships, they moved the needle in 2018-2019, exceeding growth and landing in the top 10% of middle schools in the state. Following the pandemic, they had to renew that focus to resocialize students and reintroduce them to school etiquette and structure. Mint Hill exceeded growth again in the last academic year and is one of 30 CMS schools to earn that achievement in 2018-2019 and 2021-2022. 

“I’m really proud of that comeback and, really and truly, of how our staff worked together in the pandemic,” Drye said. “I had a great team before the pandemic, but one of the best things about that experience is that our staff got closer. We have a better sense of what our collective purpose is and what we’re trying to do here than would ever have been possible if we hadn’t gone through that together."