In Cape Fear’s auditorium, currently hard at work on the Miss Cape Fear pageant is the CFNN Teacher of the Week, Ms. Kerry Brown. Taking a break from pageant setup, she sat down with the CFNN in her office , where she discussed her homelife, her kids, thoughts on being a teacher, her past, and her studio Kerry’s Dance Beat. 

Ms. Brown has a home full of love and joy.  She is a single mother with 4 kids.  20 year old Konnor, 16 year old Kerrigan, and her twins Kaydin and Kennedi who are 15 years old.  Ms. Brown was born in Clinton, NC and was raised in Spivey’s Corner, NC (the hollerin capital of the world).  Spivey’s Corner is where the Brown family currently calls home.  

In her free time Ms. Brown enjoys filling up her time with an abundance of things.  She loves spending her summers at her “slice of paradise,” as she describes her lake house at White Lake.  She also enjoys going to church, shopping, and traveling.  Most of all Ms. Brown loves going to the movies with her kids.  Ms. Brown’s favorite movies are Singing in the Rain, Dirty Dancing, and Pretty Woman.  Her favorite tv show to watch with her son is Yellowstone.  

When it comes to Brown’s education, she graduated from Midway High school in 1992. She then moved on to ECU where she started with Physical therapy/occupational therapy with a minor in dance education. She soon realized that what she was taking wasn’t really what she wanted to do in life. She then switched to a bachelor of science in Dance Education. She graduated from ECU in December of 1996. 

Ms.Brown’s dancing career started when she was very young. Her mother enrolled her in dance when she was 4 years old. From there she just loved dance and grew up surrounded with it. She danced at many local studios as well as studios across the state; she also participated in many pageants. Soon after graduating high school, she moved on to learn about dance education. From there she found a job in dance. She then took the opportunity to teach dance to others. 

One of Ms.Brown’s favorite quotes is “Dance to the beat of your dreams.” 

Her teaching career started in August of 1997 at Douglas Byrd and Westover high schools. Over the course of her career, she also spent time at Massy Hill, Reid Ross, Eastover Central, and Seventy-First before finally landing at Cape Fear. 

She taught at Cape fear for  2 years before she took a break that lasted about 10 years. After that hiatus, she came back to teach at Cape Fear once again. 

Accompanying her return to Cape Fear,  Mrs. Brown has taken over the responsibility of the Miss Cape Fear Pageant. Ms. Brown took over the pageant to help build the dance program.  She hopes to take the profits from the pageant to get the basic necessities to bring the dance program to its full potential.  Some necessities for the dance program include a dance floor, a larger room, mirrors and “equipment that will help a program just have its basic needs,” Ms. Brown says.  She also believes that you can have an amazing teacher with the joy and love for dance but can’t get kids to be serious about dance without the right equipment.  

Another reason for taking over the Miss Cape Fear Pageant was to use some of the funding to help build a dance team. When it comes to starting a dance team for the school, she wanted dance not only to be an extracurricular activity for kids, but also for it to be a competitive team.  She also wants the dance team to do halftime shows for football games, basketball games, and tie in with the band. 

When it comes to online learning, most teachers hate it and prefer not to do it, but in Ms.Brown’s case, she actually enjoyed online learning. “I would like to go back to online learning,” she said. She had learned how to mirror herself so it was easier for the kids and overall enjoyed it. She knew, though, from having children of her own how hard it was on the kids to dance virtually. She missed that in-person and student connection you got from actually being in school. 

Ms. Brown is the proud owner of Kerry’s Dance Beat, the first dance studio in Eastover, North Carolina.  KDB opened in 1997 and is celebrating its 25th season. 

KDB offers a variety of dance styles such as ballet, clogging, tap, musical theater, hip hop, acro, strength and conditioning, jazz, pointe, and karate. You can start your dance journey at KDB starting at 18 months old. At KDB you can take classes at a recreational level, competitive level, or even just for fun. What sets KDB apart from other studios is its high level productions. 

Kerry’s Dance Beat has a Holiday Show in December and a Spring recital in June.  The Holiday Show helps KDB stand out because it is the only studio in Eastover to do a Christmas Show and offer a source of entertainment for the community in the holiday season.  KDB is also known for its loving and welcoming environment.  At KDB a dancer will gain discipline, a love for dance, and life long friends.  

Ms. Kerry Brown has a lot of love for her kids, her students, and her dancers. She has accomplished so much, and no doubt has made a difference in children’s lives. Congrats on Teacher of the Week Ms. Brown, you deserve it!