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WINTON – A veteran educator who has spent the past 21 years working with four school districts across the state has been hired as the new principal at Bearfield Primary School in Ahoskie.

Opie Stinson comes to Bearfield from Clinton City Schools (Sampson County). He served one year there as principal at Butler Avenue Elementary School.

At Bearfield, Stinson replaces longtime principal Julie Shields who has been reassigned to the Hertford County Public Schools (HCPS) Central Office in Winton as the Director of Enrichment Programs.

No information was made available by HCPS in reference to the reassignment.

Stinson began his career in education in Lexington City Schools. There he taught first grade at Pickett Primary School from 1998-2003.

He left that job to become an assistant principal at Granite Quarry Elementary School, part of the Rowan County / Salisbury School System.

After five years at that job, Stinson returned to Lexington City Schools in January 2009 as the 6^th Grade House Principal at Lexington Middle School. He remained with Lexington City Schools – working in various roles to include Olweus Trainer, Homebound Coordinator, ESL District Coordinator, AIG District Coordinator, Jacket Academy Coordinator and Special Programs Coordinator – until 2022.

Just prior to his job in Clinton, Stinson served for one year (2022-23) as principal at Grandy Primary School in Camden County.

Stinson has an Associates Degree in General Education from Ricks College (Idaho), a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in Fine Arts and Coaching from Southern Utah University, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.

Stinson, who said he enjoys outdoor activities with his wife and three children, recently welcomed a son-in-law and a granddaughter into his family.

Stinson added that he maintains an open-door policy and encourages students, staff and community members to visit his office with questions, concerns, suggestions, or just for a chat.

At Bearfield, Stinson replaces a local legend as Shields, who has served HCPS for over 40 years, became assistant principal at the school in 2001 and moved up to the position of principal in 2003.