First Term of the ‘26-27 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families & Students,

Please view my brief video message below:

Continue to be your best,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

"Get Connected" CSD Parent Meeting Archive: Aug. 25, 2026

To the Community School of Davidson Families,

If you were unable to attend either of the "Get Connected" Parent Meetings on August 25th or you would simply like to review the content, please view the archive from the evening session below (courtesy of CSD Productions):

(Please be advised the stage illumination creates a dark stage presence.)

Be your best (knowing our "best" looks different every day) and Go Spartans!

Thank you for viewing,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Welcome to the ‘26-27 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families & Students,

Please view my brief video message below:

Be your best and Go Spartans!

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Closing of ‘25-26 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families, Students, and Staff,

Please view my video message below:

Have a fantastic summer and continue to be your best!

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Spring Break 2026 Send-Off Message to the Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families, Students, and Staff,

Please view my brief video message below:

Continue to be your best,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

First Term of ‘25-26 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families & Students,

Please view my brief video message below:

Continue to be your best,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

"Get Connected" CSD Parent Meeting Archive: Aug. 25, 2025

To the Community School of Davidson Families,

If you were unable to attend either of the "Get Connected" Parent Meetings on August 25th or you would simply like to review the content, please view the archive from the evening session below (courtesy of CSD Productions):

Be your best (knowing our "best" looks different every day) and Go Spartans!

Thank you for viewing,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Welcome to the ‘25-26 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families & Students,

Please view my brief video message below:

Be your best and Go Spartans!

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Final Day of ‘24-25 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families, Students, and Staff,

Please view my video message below:

Have a wonderful summer and continue to be your best!

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Spring Break 2025 Send-Off Message to the Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families, Students, and Staff,

Please view my video message below:

Continue to be your best,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Community School of Davidson #GivingTuesday Campaign 2024

To the Community School of Davidson Families, Students, and Staff,

Please view my video message below:

Much more info and the link to participate is within the embedded ParentSquare post.

Thank you for viewing and continue to be your best,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

First Month of '24-25 School Year Message to Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson Families, Students, and Staff,

Please view my video message below:

Continue to be your best...knowing our "best" looks different each day.

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

"Get Connected with Mr. Smith" CSD Parent Meeting Archive: Aug. 27, 2024

To the Community School of Davidson Families,

If you were unable to attend either of the "Get Connected with Mr. Smith" Parent Meetings on August 27th or you would simply like to review the content, please view the archive from the AM session below (courtesy of CSD Productions).

Note: The archive starts a few minutes after the session had begun, so my initial introduction and the introduction of our Admin Leadership Team is not included.

Be your best (knowing our "best" looks different every day) and Go Spartans!

Thank you for viewing,

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Opening Day of School Message to the Community School of Davidson Families & Students

To the Community School of Davidson Families & Students,

Please view my video message below:

Be your best and Go Spartans!

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

Introductory Message to the Community School of Davidson Families & Students

To the Community School of Davidson Families & Students,

Please view my video message below:

ICYMI/Related: Next Chapter: Community School of Davidson (from May 17th)

Be your best and Go Spartans!

Craig S. Smith

Executive Director

Community School of Davidson

My Message to the Lake Norman Charter HS Community

To the Lake Norman Charter HS Community,

Please view my video message below:

ICYMI/Related: Important Announcement (from May 16th)

Thank you for viewing and continue to be your best,

Craig S. Smith

Principal

Lake Norman Charter High School

2015 - 2024

Next Chapter: Community School of Davidson

To the Community School of Davidson,

It is truly a distinct honor to introduce myself with the humility of being named incoming Executive Director of Community School of Davidson. It is an incredible opportunity to have been selected to serve the CSD Community in this role, to which I do not take for granted.

This decision has weighed heavily and was not made lightly, as there are very few schools I would ever consider leaving Lake Norman Charter for and the positions are even more limited; the Executive Director of CSD stands alone in that regard. I want to sincerely thank the CSD Board of Directors for trusting me with this opportunity and the vote of confidence by the stakeholders who were involved in the process. I would also like to thank Dr. Tom Miller and Lauren Watters from Leaders Building Leaders for their coordination throughout the process. 

(Image created by @athlete_growth) 

CSD takes pride in the philosophy that “every student can and will succeed” and this philosophy is well-known within the education landscape in our region. After spending time with multiple stakeholders, in addition to my own previous awareness and experience through collaboration with CSD leadership, a clear commitment to balance the expectations of high academic achievement with the four priorities of The Basic School is evident. 

My demonstrated dependability to the entire K-12 school community is how I will best support the CSD mission and philosophy, to allow those successfully established within the framework to continue developing the whole-child, while meeting the diverse needs of each individual student in an advancing, transformative world. 

During the interview process, a student asked me, “How would you define success for a student?” It afforded me the opportunity to respond with the simple, yet significant mantra the folks at LNC have heard daily for years: “Be your best. Don’t worry about anyone else’s best…just focus on being the best version of yourself.” This is how I define success. It is what I expect from myself, as well as the faculty, staff, students, and families; I believe my mantra aligns directly with CSD’s philosophy, as well.

I will be sharing more about myself in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, you are welcome to connect with me through various social media channels, which can be accessed via my Linktr.ee.

I remain fully-committed to LNC for all of the end-of-year items that require my involvement to help ensure a successful closing and a smooth transition, which is very important to me both professionally and personally. Having said that, I cannot wait to officially join the established culture within the CSD Community with my “listening tour” soon. I look forward to building relationships with staff, students, and families to help continue your mission and purpose through character, leadership, and service.

I wish the entire Spartan Nation a successful conclusion to the school year filled with celebration and a sense of accomplishment. 

Your humbled next Executive Director,

Craig S. Smith

https://linktr.ee/CraigSmith

Announcement via Instagram

Announcement via X

"Back-to-School Q&A with Craig Smith" | North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools Interview

 Back-to-School Q&A with Craig Smith

Hear what’s top of mind for this charter leader, principal, and charter parent

North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works

2023 LNC Advanced Placement Success

Advanced Placement Exam scores for 2023 were recently released in North Carolina. Proficiency on the AP Exam requires a level III, IV, or V.

For Lake Norman Charter, here is a rundown of some quick-hit highlights, starting with our overall success:

Extremely proud to share @LNCharter AP Exam performance for 2023 hit an impressive level of 82.1% proficiency! (over 652[!!] tests administered)

Read more points of #LNCPride in this blog: https://t.co/eYOOEpwHIp

Congrats to our teachers & students for Being Your Best! #nced

— Craig S. Smith (@CSmithGoBlue) July 10, 2023

2022 LNC Advanced Placement Success

Advanced Placement Exam scores for 2022 were recently released in North Carolina.  Proficiency on the AP Exam requires a level III, IV, or V.

For Lake Norman Charter, here is a rundown of some quick-hit highlights, starting with our overall success:

Extremely proud to share @LNCharter AP Exam performance for 2022 hit an impressive level of 81.7% proficiency!! (over 520 tests administered)

Read more points of pride in this blog: https://t.co/06tnAeWlps

Congrats to our teachers & students for Being Your Best! #LNCPride #nced

— Craig S. Smith (@CSmithGoBlue) July 8, 2022