By Allie Nigro, Online Editor-in-Chief
“Is that what’s best for students?”
This is the question you would find posted on a bulletin board in Steve Basnight’s office – and the same guiding principle that drove him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become superintendent of Dare County Schools.
After teaching for 20 years at Manteo High School followed by 17 years in administration, Steve Basnight was sworn in to be Dare County Schools’ new superintendent on Nov. 2 – 44 years after his father got sworn in to the same position. His first official day on the job came Dec. 1, replacing interim Superintendent Steve Blackstock, who now fills the role of assistant superintendent. The moves came following former leader John Farrelly’s departure in June.
Basnight was born and raised in Dare County and comes from a long line of educators.
“My grandma worked in the cafeteria, my granddad was a custodian, and my aunts and uncles were teachers and principals,” Basnight said. “My dad was a basketball coach at Manteo High School in the early ’60s and progressed and became the superintendent in 1978.”
Those deep ties with the community are one of the reasons Principal Chuck Lansing believes Basnight has and will continue to be a successful administrator.
“He brings a ton of background with the community, and a ton of understanding on how our schools have worked in the past and what we’re trying to achieve,” Lansing said. “He also has a wealth of experience in different leadership capacities within schools and as a superintendent. I’ve been impressed with everything that he’s shared so far.”
All the experience Basnight has in the school system gives him a good idea of what works and what doesn’t. He puts a huge emphasis on the importance of active learning.
“Active learning in my evolution just made more sense to me on how kids learn,” Basnight said. “If you sit them in a room and bore them to death, then more often than not, they’re going to become a discipline problem. But if they’re actively involved in something, that problem goes down.”
Even before becoming an administrator, Basnight experienced first hand how active learning in the classroom can truly affect students.
“When I was teaching, I didn’t really like doing the ‘stand and deliver on the podium’ and lecturing, but at that time, when you went to college, that’s all it was,” Basnight said. “That’s changed, and if we’re still trying to teach kids how to be successful in college by writing papers, we’ve missed the mark.”
Though teachers are a huge factor in students’ education, Basnight believes students must be made accountable for their own learning.
“We’ve gotten really good as a society blaming teachers because the kids didn’t get it, but what if we stop talking about teaching and we start talking about learning?” Basnight said. “That shift takes the onus off of the teacher and puts it back on the student.”
Basnight’s daughter, Sara, is currently a freshman at FFHS, giving him an even more unique perspective on what students, teachers and administrators are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.
“Even if it’s just the latest TikTok trends, I try to keep him up to date so he can do the best that he can in a generation that’s very different,” Sara said.
She added that she is extremely proud of her dad and looks up to him in more ways than one.
“I find him to be a very big role model. He’s a very respectable person, very kind and very genuine,” Sara said. “Even if someone is rude to him, he still treats people with respect and I see that he does this every single day, so that’s what I look up to.”
Being the new superintendent is “more than a job” for Basnight and he hopes to do everything he can for a county he’s been part of since day one.
“My desire is for Dare County to be recognized as the best school system. I want our kids to have the most opportunities, our staff to feel like they’re a part of something that’s really great, and our community and parents to be proud to say that my kids go to Dare County,” Basnight said. “That may be lofty, but you set the bar high and then you reach it.”
Senior Allie Nigro can be reached at 23nigroal20@daretolearn.org.
