Stephen Martin

@DrWayneEberle Congratulations on your retirement! Great to see you on your last official day and swap a few stories!

Learning together with these future NC school leaders this semester in the AppState graduate program. Course focuses on HR, Finance, and School Safety. @AppstateRCOE

@WataugaSchools Great job!

Our first district newsletter for the 2025-2026 school year was recently published! Be sure to check it out if you have not already. #WeAreWatauga #StayConnected #Newsletter WCS August 2025 Newsletter: secure.smore.com/n/z5hqu

@AppState_FB is READY for the season after I got some reps in with big 74 @GriffinScroggs today!

@cgblanton2 @CoachKerley #1 AD around - well deserved and many congrats!

Watauga County Schools is fortunate to have an athletic director who has the vision that “Best is the Standard” for everything we do. Today, @CoachKerley was recognized, rightfully so as the best AD in the state. Congratulations to the Athletic Director of the Year!

Happy 25th Anniversary to Heather Martin! It’s been fun making memories and I look forward to many more in the next 25!

@zeissn The more we play the better chances we have!!!

@JStephenMartin Holy cow. That is amazing!! Im still waiting for mine.

After almost 40 years of golfing, I had my first HOLE IN ONE today! 302 yard, par 4 so it was a double eagle or albatross! Celebrated with my long time golfing buddies (and witnesses) Wally Crump and Byron Tolbert!

@BillTorg Thanks, Coach! It was a special moment for sure! Made a lifetime memory today!

@JStephenMartin All right! That's awesome. Congratulations Dr. Martin!

It’s the end of the spring semester @appstate. I’ve enjoyed learning this semester with these student teachers and graduate students in the MSA program! @AppstateRCOE

@WataugaSchools Way to go @cgblanton2! Well deserved!

Assistant Superintendent/Director of Human Resources Dr. Chris Blanton was recognized at the April Board of Education Meeting for receiving a 2025 Dr. Samuel Houston Leadership award! 🎊 Mr. Jack Hoke attended the meeting and presented the award to Dr. Blanton.

We’ve had fun and learned a lot together about Human Resources, Finance, and Safety in schools. These graduate students from @AppstateRCOE are committed to the work as evidenced by Montrez attending class from a school activity bus and Monica from a cruise ship!

It’s been a fun semester serving as University Supervisor for student teachers at AppState! I’m excited to see where the journey takes these young teachers as they seek to make a difference with the next generation of learners!

This would be great! Increased teacher pay and restoring pay based on advanced degree would be a positive move for recruitment and retention for NC teachers!

@MaddoxGreene @PerfectEffort14 @cnfootball @CNBaseball @Team_dHB @wataugaboosters @DoubtedAthletes @CoachAIngram @catchblockthrow @CoachChuckPete Way to go, Maddox! We’ve enjoyed following you at WCS and can’t wait to see the great things you will do at the next level!

Giving All Glory to God! I am beyond blessed to announce my commitment to play Football and Baseball at Carson-Newman. Thankful for all the coaches at Carson-Newman for believing in me and giving me this great opportunity. @PerfectEffort14 @cnfootball @CNBaseball @Team_dHB

@MarsHill_FB @tragragg6 Mars Hill is getting a great student-athlete! Way to go, Trathan!

Fired up to add a North Carolina LB to the Defense!! Welcome to The Hill @tragragg6

@tragragg6 @PerfectEffort14 @Coach_Hicks51 @chuck_phifer @CoachTimClifton Way to go @tragragg6. Excited to watch this next step in your journey!

All Glory to God! COMMITTED! #LIONNATION @PerfectEffort14 @Coach_Hicks51 @chuck_phifer @CoachTimClifton

@tragragg6 @CoachCoe_ @CoachDub_58 @CoachQHunter @PerfectEffort14 Yessir! Way to go!

After a great official visit I am blessed to receive an offer from Emory & Henry University! Thank you to all the coaches for their hospitality. @CoachCoe_ @CoachDub_58 @CoachQHunter @PerfectEffort14

@WataugaSchools @WHS_Pioneers What a great “Grow your own” program!

In 2023, @WHS_Pioneers brought the Teacher Cadet program back for students who have an interest in becoming a teacher or an interest in pursuing a degree in education. The program is available to juniors and seniors. Meet your Fall 2024 Teacher Cadets! ☺️🩵

Dean Smith didn’t just coach basketball; he coached life. Here are 8 timeless insights from Coach Smith that every coach, leader, and athlete should know: 1️⃣ LEADERSHIP "A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment.” A team of committed players will win. Develop a culture of commitment through effective player leadership. 2️⃣ PRAISE “Praise behavior that you want repeated.” It's pretty simple. You are what you emphasize. If you want repeated behavior, then praise the process. 3️⃣ COACHING “If you make every game a life and death proposition, you will have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot.” This is a great reminder to always consider the big picture. Sport is a game, and Coach Smith always took a healthy approach to coaching. 4️⃣ THE RIGHT THING “You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.” Doing the right thing should be the standard, not a celebration. Players cannot achieve next-level leadership until they effectively lead themselves. 5️⃣ TEAMWORK “Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.” Coach Smith had a standard of teamwork. An expectation was that all 5 players worked as one. Even though he coached some of the most elite players ever, they always played as a team. 6️⃣ MISTAKES “What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” It is a great reminder of how to deal with mistakes. Quick, simple, and effective. He never dwelled on mistakes. 7️⃣SELFISHNESS “One player's selfish attitude can poison a locker room and make it hard, if not impossible, to establish teamwork.” Coach Smith was all about TEAM. No one player was above the rest. You were expected to play as one, and any selfish behavior was unacceptable. 8️⃣ SIMPLICITY “Over-coaching is the worst thing you can do to a player.” Less is more. Simple Wins. All great Coaches say this. Simplify what you do as a coach. Force yourself to do less. Let your players play with freedom. ____ Want more tips to build better teams and lead effectively? 👉 Follow me @gregberge for actionable coaching, leadership, and team culture tips. 📬 Subscribe to my free newsletter, Great Teams - Better Leaders 123, via the link in my profile!