By Miles Layton

COLUMBIA — Clarence Pointe II will lead Columbia Middle School and Columbia Early College High School into the 2026-27 school year, bringing a career path that wound through restaurant management before landing in the principal’s office — and a family legacy in education that goes back decades.

Pointe, known widely as CP, grew up watching his father lead schools from the inside. For more than 20 years, he walked the halls alongside his dad, Mr. Pointe Sr., during his father’s principalship at various schools. His mother is a retired educator who still teaches actively.

But Pointe’s own path to the principal’s office started somewhere else entirely.

Pointe earned a business management degree from East Carolina University and began his career as a restaurateur and entrepreneur, managing franchise restaurants and developing skills in customer service and staff management.

Those skills would later prove foundational to his work in schools. According to background provided by the district, the combination of managing restaurants, human capital, students, classrooms, athletics and schools helped him develop a well-rounded approach to school leadership.

In his own words, Pointe described how the transition began:

“This is my first school year with the Tyrrell County Schools district. I am coming from Martin County Schools where I started as an ISS Coordinator in the 2018-2019 school year at Riverside High School. I was looking for a change after leaving the restaurant management field, and decided to take the ISS position to see how I would like working in education, while also pursuing a head coach position as the Track and Field Coach at Riverside.”

The change stuck.

“I ended up loving being in the building with the students and fellow staff members, and pursued an opportunity to become a business education teacher the following year,” Pointe said. “I spent the next 4 years teaching business and other CTE related courses as a lateral entry teacher at Riverside High. Additionally, I was a Basketball Assistant Coach and Football Assistant Coach, then went on to become a Basketball Head Coach for our Girls program.”

In 2023, Pointe entered the Pirate Leadership Academy leadership program at East Carolina University and became an assistant principal intern in the Martin County district.

“After graduating from ECU, I went back to Martin County High School to serve as an Assistant Principal,” Pointe said.

He holds both his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his master’s degree in educational leadership from ECU.

In his application for the Columbia post, Pointe outlined the leadership philosophy he intends to bring to the Wildcats.

“In addition to instructional leadership, I bring strong organizational and behavioral management skills,” Pointe wrote. “I have experience handling student discipline in a restorative and proactive manner, implementing systems to support school safety, and using culturally responsive practices to ensure all students feel seen and valued.”

That relationship-first approach extends to how Pointe describes what draws him to the work.

“I enjoy making lasting connections with students, staff, and community members/stakeholders the most,” he said. “The education field has given me the opportunity to lead, grow, and bond with individuals and families that I otherwise wouldn’t have met.”

Pointe said his guiding belief centers on student potential and choice.

“I believe all students are able to do whatever they set their mind to do,” Pointe said. “If that’s entering the workforce, enlisting in the military, or furthering their education after high school, each student has the super power of having the freedom to choose what they want next and life, and to chase their own wildest dreams.”

Pointe takes over with the backing of a family principal mentor, a family member who is a classroom educator, and what district officials describe as a new family of Wildcats as Columbia Middle and Columbia Early College High School begin the new school year.

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