About Us

About Mr. Gatewood

Mr. Jared Gatewood was appointed principal of East Union Middle School in July 2023. Mr. Gatewood was born and raised in Hamlet, North Carolina, and graduated from Richmond Senior High School in 2008. He attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he received his B.A. in political science and minored in history. He then moved to Charlotte in 2015 to pursue a teaching career, beginning as a social studies teacher at Harding University High School with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. In 2018, he accepted a position with Union County Public Schools as a social studies teacher at Forest Hills. Mr. Gatewood was also credited with teaching the first African American Studies course in Union County Public Schools' history, beginning in 2018. 

In 2019, Mr. Gatewood graduated with his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Wingate University and completed his administrative internship at Forest Hills. He also served as interim Assistant Principal during the 2019-2020 school year. He accepted an Assistant Principal position at Forest Hills High School in July 2020. During his time as an administrator at Forest Hills High School, he was selected as the Union County Public Schools Assistant Principal of the Year for the 2022-2023 school year. In his current role at East Union Middle School, he was a Union County Principal of the Year finalist for the 2025-2026 school year. Mr. Gatewood lives in Indian Land, South Carolina with his wife, Kimberly, who is a senior financial analyst at Brighthouse Financial, and his daughter, Halle. 

Mr. Gatewood has served the Forest Hills cluster as a teacher and administrator since 2018 and loves the community. He is passionate about each student reaching their highest potential and empowering them to be the best version of themselves each day with a whole-child approach. His motto, as it relates to educating students, is to “love them first, and teach them second.”

Contact Mr. Gatewood

• Phone: 704-296-3025 x 1614
• Email: jared.gatewood@ucps.k12.nc.us

About Ms. Gainey

Ms. Gainey is excited to serve as the 6^th grade assistant principal of East Union Middle School. Ms. Gainey was most recently the 8^th grade assistant principal of Sun Valley Middle School and feels honored to now work at the middle school that directly serves the community in which she lives.

Ms. Gainey began her educational career as a high school civics, economics, and geography teacher at McCluer High School, in St. Louis MO. After serving as a teacher, volleyball and basketball coach for 5 years, she was blessed with the opportunity to return to the Tarheel state in the role of assistant principal role at Albemarle Middle School in Stanly County NC. Ms. Gainey worked within Stanly County Schools for ten years as both an assistant principal and head principal. Ms. Gainey joined the UCPS family in 2014 and served as the Career Development Coordinator at Monroe High School for nine years prior to returning to administration.

Ms. Gainey has three children that have all attended East Union Middle School and gone on to pursue a higher education.  Justin (graduate of Western Carolina University), Ryleigh (Jr. at West Virginia State University) and Parker who is a current 7^th grader at EUMS.  Ms. Gainey believes that the rich history of East Union Middle School will fuel her passion to make a difference for the students and the community. She believes that “students don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”.

Contact Ms. Gainey

• Phone: 704-290-1540
• Email: rhonda.gainey@ucps.k12.nc.us\

About Mr. Kelley

I am excited to be a part of the East Union MS community of learners. I was born and raised in northwest Georgia and I graduated from Presbyterian College, in South Carolina, with a degree in biology. My teaching career began in 1999 at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte. Since 1999, I have received an additional degree in educational leadership from Wingate University and I have also served as a science department chairperson, dean of students, and assistant principal, which is my current role at East Union.

My wife and I have two high school-aged daughters. We also have three cats and eight chickens. I am a self-professed grading wonk and the two main pillars of my educational philosophy are a strong belief in the power of teacher efficacy and the intentional use (perhaps overuse!) of formative assessments to inform teaching and learning in the classroom. In my free time, I enjoy reading and spending time with family.

Contact Mr. Kelley

• Email: chad.kelley@ucps.k12.nc.us

About Mr. Lewis

Mr. Lewis is excited to be part of the EUMS family as the 8th grade assistant principal. He grew up in Union County, North Carolina, and earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University, before beginning his educational career teaching at Monroe Middle School. He was later accepted into the NC Principal Fellows Program, and obtained his Masters in School Administration and a Curriculum Instructional Specialist add-on from UNC Charlotte. Mr. Lewis lives in Monroe with his wife, Andrea, who is a teacher with UCPS, and his 2 children, Xiomara and Osvaldo. When not in school, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing board games with his friends, reading, and playing video games.

Contact Mr. Lewis

• Phone: 704-290-1540
• Email: steven.lewis@ucps.k12.nc.us

About Mr. Swain

Mr. Swain serves as the 7th Grade Assistant Principal of East Union Middle School, where he is dedicated to a positive and supportive learning environment that encourages students to grow academically and personally. His leadership style is collaborative and student-focused, emphasizing strong relationships with students, staff, and families to ensure success for every learner.

Before joining East Union Middle, Mr. Swain served as the Secondary Education and Career & Technical Education Director for Montgomery County Schools. In that role, he led district-wide initiatives to expand Career and Technical Education pathways, developed innovative summer camps in partnership with Montgomery Community College, and helped design master schedules that ensured students had access to both rigorous academics and meaningful career preparation. He began his career as a classroom agriculture teacher, where he discovered a passion for helping students connect their learning to real-world opportunities and for supporting colleagues in their instructional growth.

With 19 years of experience in education, Mr. Swain has served in teaching and leadership roles at both the middle and high school levels. He is proud of the accomplishments of East Union Middle School’s students and staff, and he remains passionate about preparing every child for the next stage of their educational journey. His goal is to ensure that all students feel supported, inspired, and equipped to succeed in both school and life.

Contact Mr. Swain

• Email: matthew.swain@ucps.k12.nc.us

• Dr. Bashawn Harris