My name is Kelly Holland and I am honored to be your Principal. With nineteen years of experience in the school system, it is a pleasure to serve in the community that I grew up in. I was a teacher at South-Smithfield Elementary School for 11 years and have been here at Glendale-Kenly for 7 years as an assistant principal intern/ assistant principal and 2 years as principal.

Relationships are extremely important and vital to success at GKE. Every family in our school is very important to us.  We welcome your involvement and participation in our school. Working as partners with parents and the community, we strive to educate your children and help them reach their full potential. We want students to always focus on doing their “personal best.” Our staff members are dedicated and committed to the success of every child.

I am so glad that you have chosen to be a part of our Wildcat family. It is going to be a fantastic year!

Hello my name is Thomas Presley, and I’m thrilled to serve as the new Assistant Principal at Glendale-Kenly Elementary! With a Bachelor’s from Catawba College and a Master’s in School Administration from ECU. I began my education journey as a 4th-grade teacher at Brogden Primary School in 2011. I have been an assistant principal since 2019. I've had the honor of being named Wayne County Public Schools Assistant Principal of the Year in 2022-23, followed by WCPS Elementary AP of the Year this past year. Currently I live in Pikeville with my wife and our two-year-old daughter. I am committed to creating a positive learning environment for our students. I’m looking forward to working together to make this school year a successful one for everyone.