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“Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.” Such is the observation of British author and humorist Douglas Adams. In a similar vein, stand-up comedian Tracy Morgan says, “Bad news travels at the speed of light; good news travels like molasses.” Although they both exaggerate to make their points about how fast bad news seems to spread, it is true that information can travel on the internet over fiber optic cables at 60-70% of the speed of light. And there certainly seems to be an extraordinary amount of bad news these days, especially on social media.
Did you know, however, that hearing and even reading good news has many positive effects? Scientific studies have shown that receiving good news can benefit both our mental and physical health and our common bonds as neighbors. Being exposed to good news can improve your mood and reduce stress, increase your optimism and give you a more positive outlook on life, enhance your feelings of gratitude, strengthen your social connections with your community, and inspire you and others to act in more positive, caring, and productive ways.
In this day and age, when it is so easy to get caught up in doom-scrolling on the internet and be influenced by negative stories about local public schools, here is a sampling of good news from our Duplin County Schools.
Tanya Smith, principal of the Duplin Early College High School, was selected as one of the two early college leaders in North Carolina to serve on the National Early College Leaders Network. She will work with other early college leaders to determine ways to make early college high schools more successful.
Three teachers have achieved National Board Certification: Hannah Bell from James Kenan High School, Heather Bradburn from B. F. Grady Elementary School, and Samantha Rouse from B.F. Grady Elementary School.
Two recent graduates gained recognition for their outstanding academic careers. Daniel Jones from East Duplin High School received the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship and will study at UNC-Chapel Hill. Elier Marquez-Chavez from Wallace-Rose Hill High School was accepted at three Ivy League colleges and will enter Duke University as a Benjamin N. Duke scholar.
This summer, two of our Duplin students participated in the North Carolina Governor’s School, a four-week residential program for talented high school students. Eduardo Gonzales from Wallace-Rose Hill High School studied at Greensboro College and Maya Smith at Meredith College.
Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary School teacher Tanya Novakowski was selected as one of thirty North Carolina teachers in the 2025-2026 Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at North Carolina State University.
We celebrate all of these accomplishments and more in Duplin Schools. Do yourself a favor and read the good news on duplinschools.net. And, once you’ve read the good news, help it move along faster than molasses, even almost at the speed of light, as you share the good news with your family, friends and neighbors.
