James McMillian and Chessie Miller Holcomb have been named assistant principals at Dillon Middle School
James McMillian is a 51-year-old Educator. This school year begins his 21st year teaching in education. Prior to coming to Dillon Middle School, McMillian entered the profession beginning in 2002 as an Adult Education Teacher for Robeson Community College. Then two years later in August 2004, he began his public-school educational journey as a Math Teacher at Cheraw High School.
It was at Cheraw High School that he met his mentor, Mrs. Gladys Sweeney. She had a profound impact on his life as a teacher. It was through her guidance that McMillian developed a passion for education.
In 2016, McMillian came to Dillon High School to continue his career as a Mathematics teacher. During his time there, he served the school in several capacities. His lifelong goal is “to serve my community by helping develop students into successful young adults by creating sound educational opportunities.”
Additionally, this also begins his 21st year as a Head Varsity Girls’ Basketball Coach.
McMillian earned his B.S. in Mathematics in December 2000 from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. While at Pembroke, he also ran track on scholarship. In June 2011, McMillian earned his Master of Education in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. He then followed that up with a second master’s: Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an Emphasis in Technology in September 2014.
McMillian has one daughter, Diamond Wilson, a sophomore at North Carolina A&T University, one son, Paris Fleming, a recent graduate of Benedict College in Columbia, SC, and one godson, Craig Harrington III, a 3rd grader at Cheraw Intermediate. He married his best friend, Michelle Fleming, in 2015.
“My path to education was a nontraditional one, ” said McMillan. “I knew that I did not want to work in Corporate America, so I decided to teach. With a degree in Mathematics, my love for math brought me to do an application for teaching through CERRA. I applied to Dillon, Marlboro, and Cheraw High schools. It was at Cheraw High School that I met Mrs. Sweeney. We shared so many things in common besides math that I decided on Cheraw High School. It was her wisdom and leadership as a math department chairperson that made me fall in love with teaching. She challenged me in every facet of teaching. She pushed me to pursue all my educational degrees. I aspire to be a great teacher like she was. I believe that my greatest contributions and accomplishments in education are the numerous former students that have developed into successful citizens and adults. Through my Saturday ACT and SAT volunteer workshops and countless afterschool hours, I have had many students who have earned high scores on various Standardized Tests. I believe through my love and passion for teaching my students was prepared to face the challenges of graduation and college,” said McMillian.
Chessie Miller Holcomb loves Dillon County and the small-town community environment that it brings. This is one of the reasons why she is a perfect fit at Dillon Middle School.
Holcomb is a graduate of Lake View High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in History with a minor in Political Science from Francis Marion University; a Master of Arts in Teaching Learning Disabilities from Francis Marion University; and a Master of Arts in School Administration from Gardner Webb University.
This is her ninth year in the field of education, and all have been in Dillon District Four. She was a special education teacher at Dillon High School, Dillon Middle School, and Lake View High School. She was also a Varsity Softball coach at DHS for five years, JV Volleyball coach at DHS for one year, and B Team basketball coach at DMS for one year.
Holcomb has previously worked with new principal, Ms. Felicia McCollum, and and new assistant princicpal, Mr.James McMillian at Dillon High School. “We are a family, and we want to continue to build the culture at Dillon Middle School by promoting positive collaboration and professional learning among teachers, staff, community stakeholders, and students,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb is married to Justin Holcomb from Lake View, SC. They currently have two children- a son (Holt Holcomb) who is three, and a daughter (Joanna Holcomb) who is one, and another son on the way. Her parents are Lisa Spivey Miller and the late Mitchell Miller from Lake View, SC. Her grandparents are Linda and Bobby Spivey and Chessie and David Miller, all from Lake View.
Pictured at top are Assistant Principals James McMillian and Chessie Holcomb (Photo by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon County News, LLC)
