Derrick Carpenter is starting his 5th year of teaching math and coaching swimming/diving at Shelby High School.

Prior to Shelby High School, Coach Carpenter taught at Hickory Ridge High School in Cabarrus County for 2 years (1 of which he was the Swim Coach) and taught for 5 years at Mallard Creek High School. Carpenter is a 2008 graduate of UNC Charlotte, where he earned a Bachelors of Art in Mathematics with a minor in Secondary Education.

Coach Carpenter was motivated to teach swim lessons and lifeguard courses from a boating accident at the age of 14. He overcame his fear of the water to introduce water safety, as well as all of the fun a person can have in the water through various activities. This developed into a motivation to coach swimming/diving in summer leagues and high school to promote health and physical fitness, teamwork, and scholarship opportunities.

Carpenter is from Concord, North Carolina, where he graduated from Northwest Cabarrus High School. He swam on the high school swim team for 3 years, where he made it to Regionals twice in the 100 Backstroke.