About Dr. Plue

Dr. Plue is in his tenth year as the principal at Forest Hills and his sixteenth year as a principal overall.  He spent four years as principal at East Union Middle School and two years before that at Union Elementary.  He has spent all of his time as principal in the Forest Hills Cluster and feels this gives him a unique perspective on the students and community.  In total, Dr. Plue has been in public education for 28 years.

Dr. Plue has been married to Melinda for 20 years.  She is the Director of Advocacy and Chapter Development for The Arc of North Carolina. The Plue's have two children; Georgia is a senior, and Juliet is a junior, and both attend school at Forest Hills.  He is also the brother to Jake who many of you have met or will meet around Forest Hills.  Dr. Plue was raised in Madison, AL, and his parents still live in North Alabama.  In his free time, Dr. Plue enjoys landscaping and gardening.

Contact Dr. Plue

• Phone: 704-296-3025
• Email: kevin.plue@ucps.k12.nc.us

About Mr. Gatewood

Mr. Gatewood was born and raised in Hamlet, North Carolina, and was a graduate of Richmond Senior High School in 2008.  He attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he received his BA 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.  Mr. Gatewood lives in Indian Land, South Carolina with his wife, Kimberly, who is an Associate Manager of Finance at the Association of International Certified Public Accountants, and his daughter, Halle (1).  Mr. Gatewood is passionate about every student reaching their highest potential, and empowering them to be the best versions of themselves each day.  His motto, as it relates to educating students, is to “love them first, and teach them second.”

Contact Mr. Gatewood

• Email: jared.gatewood@ucps.k12.nc.us

About Ms. Kiker

Ms. Kiker is a native of Union County and a graduate of Parkwood High School. She has worked in UCPS for 15 years. Before moving into administration, Ms. Kiker served in the Career and Technical Education Department as a Career Development Coordinator and Agriculture teacher.

Ms. Kiker earned her Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education from NC State in 2004, her Master’s in Education from Western Carolina in 2005, in Two-Year College Administration, and her graduate certificate in School Administration from Appalachian State University in 2018.

Ms. Kiker is excited to start her new role as an assistant principal and will be working with students whose last names begin with A-G.

Contact Ms. Kiker

• Email: rebecca.kiker@ucps.k12.nc.us

Contact Ms. Bricker

• Email: mallory.bricker@ucps.k12.nc.us