New academy headmaster

Having taught at Triad Baptist Christian Academy (TBCA) for several years, Dr. Soloman Patrick is excited for his new chapter, serving as the school’s headmaster.
Patrick was born and raised in Warrenton, NC, located on the Virginia border. He now lives in High Point with his wife, Tanesha, and their two children, Caleb, 4, and Ezra, 2.
Patrick said he knew early on in his life that he wanted to serve the Lord and go into education.
“When you feel that the Lord has called you, you start preaching, so I started doing that at the age of 16,” he said. “Teaching is part of the gift that God has given me.”
After high school, Patrick attended Luther Rice Bible College & Seminary, where he earned his bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees. He later attended Grand Canyon University, completing his education administration courses online.
Patrick said he found his first paid position in teaching in Creedmoor at Christian Faith Center Academy in 2005. He said his first year was difficult because he wasn’t quite prepared for teaching; however, with the opportunity to teach, he ended up teaching middle and high school. During his first year, Patrick said he taught US history, world history and NC history, as well as physical science and physical education. He also drove the van to pick up and drop students off at school.
“I did a lot that first year,” he remarked. “I taught there for one year until the enrollment went down and they cut the staff by 50 percent.”
That next year, Patrick said he went back to school to get his Masters of Arts in Leadership, and then went to work at Morganton Christian Academy for one year, where he taught business math, US history, world history, physical education and physical science. He noted that they closed due to financial trouble. Patrick moved on and found a position teaching at Torchlight Academy in Raleigh for three years, where he worked with the school’s third grade team while also doing some administrative work.
“That wasn’t the environment for me. While those were difficult years, it was where I met my wife,” he said.
Following those three years at Torchlight Academy, Patrick came to TBCA, where he has been ever since.
“I came here as a fourth grade teacher, which I taught for three years, until there was an opening in the middle school,” he said, adding that he taught middle school for three years, while also coaching cross-country, flag football and basketball.
While he enjoyed teaching, Patrick chose to go into administration for several reasons.
“For me, to be part of something is to be all in,” he remarked. “I was here at Triad and saw the transition when Mrs. Donna Mannon retired in 2020. I had talked with her about the different options in Christian education.”
Patrick said he and Mannon talked about there being few minorities filling the roles as administrators in Christian education, including people of color as well as females.
“One of the things that I noticed was there were not a lot of African Americans in Christian schools in our area, and she talked to me about how there also aren’t many females in administrative positions, either,” he explained. “When I started looking at Christian schools in this area, there weren’t many minorities at all.”
After putting his resume out into the field, Patrick said he wasn’t getting calls back; however, what he didn’t realize was that his own school was looking at what he was doing as a leader at Triad, which eventually prompted his offer for the position as headmaster.
“When I didn’t hear anything back from the resumes I was putting out, I decided to see what I could do in our middle school team. I started to lead from there and see what was in the best interest of the school, and moving the school forward,” he said. “The board heard about it and started to move forward, and here I am.”
As an administrator, Patrick said his role is that of a transformational leader.
“I give people the tools that I think they should have, but I also model and follow up to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” he explained.
In this new role, Patrick is looking forward to empowering TBCA’s teachers and growing the relationship and the trust with parents.
“A huge part of this that I want to see is to take that lightbulb experience and shine it through all of the students’ experiences,” he said. “Also, a huge part of this job is to take the vision that Pastor (Rob Decker) has for the school and communicate that to the rest of the world. My vision for the school is to create a love for learning, foster individual growth, and to display a love for others.”
In his free time, Patrick enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, writing, reading and hiking.