THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 16, 1994 TAG: 9411160421
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CURRITUCK LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Currituck County Board of Education Chairwoman Mary Ellen Maxwell on Tuesday evening was named the state's top school board member.
Maxwell, who lives in the Moyock area, received the Raleigh Dingman Award for Outstanding Boardmanship at the North Carolina School Boards Association conference in Greensboro.
``I think it's long overdue,'' said Brenda McLaughlin, a Knotts Island resident with grandchildren in the Currituck public schools system. ``She's done a tremendous amount of work for schools and for Currituck.''
McLaughlin also is Maxwell's supervisor at the Naval Security Group Activity Northwest in Chesapeake, where Maxwell is the family child-care coordinator.
McLaughlin has been a part of Maxwell's nomination process for several years now. This was the eighth year Maxwell's name has been submitted for the prestigious award.
Maxwell has served on the Currituck school board for the past 12 years and last week won re-election to another four-year term. She is currently chairwoman and served 10 years as vice chair.
Among her other achievements, Maxwell is a member of the National School Boards Association Board of Directors and serves on its executive committee.
She is a past president of the state school boards association and has received the Governor's Volunteer Award for Individual Community Service.
Her nomination letter cites two dozen other honors and notes that ``all of this was accomplished while raising four well-adjusted daughters and caring for her 42-year-old mentally retarded brother.'' by CNB