Dr. Anita Alpenfels, executive director for Human Resources, led new teacher induction June 27, 28, and 29, to help introduce a group of new hires to the Moore County Schools system.

After Jessica Collins taught her first year in Guilford County, she decided she wanted to move to a smaller community to teach.

"I really loved it," she said. "I just liked the whole atmosphere of the school."

Collins is coming back to Moore County. After she visited local schools as a N.C. teaching fellow, she felt comfortable at Southern Middle School. She also liked the staff.

"They're just nice people," she said.

During her time as a teaching fellow, she said she was impressed with how familiar the county's administration was with the schools and staff.

What impressed her most was "how connected the central office was to the school system," she said.

Collins and the group meet with different administrators from their respective departments, to learn about topics such as licensure, state and local benefits, responsibilities for students with special needs, and the uses and procedures for technology.

Jennifer Garner just earned her degree from Fayetteville State University and will take the place of her former teacher, Ron Curry.

"I've got some big shoes to fill," she said. "I remember everything he taught me. He was just very engaged and knew how to get our attention."

Garner loved her time in Curry's class, and hopes she can teach her students as well as he taught her.

"I'm holding my teaching up to his," she said.

Many of the teachers in the group had taught in other counties and were looking for a school closer to home, such as Pat Cheek. Cheek taught for 15 years in the Richmond County system. Tired of the lengthy commute from her home in Moore County, she found a job teaching cosmetology at Pinckney Academy.

Teachers from all age ranges and all levels of experience in the classroom took part in the training.

Patricia Humphrey came from the inner city schools of Trenton, N.J., She has more than 30 years under her belt as an educator, 15 of those in public schools.

Coming to Moore County, she said, she was pleased to find out that the schools' policy on learning so closely matched her own.

"I'm absolutely thrilled that North Carolina provides occupational therapy as part of the work program (for exceptional needs children)," she said. "I was really excited to hear in the orientation that children will learn according to their own learning styles," Humphrey said.

She has been assigned to Pinecrest High School to work with exceptional needs students.

Molly Wilson is a lateral entry teacher in health occupations who began working at Pinecrest in January. She missed having an orientation because of her start date. Wilson, who was a nurse in her first career, is taking classes at N.C. State University to fulfill her teaching requirements. She enjoyed her last semester and is looking forward to the start of next year.

"Oh yeah, I can't wait," she said.

Caroline Kornegay can be reached at 693-2484 or by e-mail at ckornegay@thepilot.com.