Eight outstanding public school principals have been selected as regional Wells Fargo North Carolina Principals of the Year and will now compete for the state title of 2018 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.
The winner will succeed the 2017 recipient, Jason Griffin, principal of Hertford Grammar in Perquimans County.
The regional principals of the year are:
- Northeast: Cathy Michelle White, D.F. Walker Elementary (Edenton-Chowan Public Schools);
- Southeast: Tabari Wallace, West Craven High (Craven County Schools);
- North Central: Jonathan Enns, Fuquay-Varina High (Wake County Public Schools);
- Sandhills: Jim Butler, Richmond Senior High (Richmond County Schools);
- Piedmont-Triad: Tracy Kimmer, Yadkin Early College (Yadkin County Schools);
- Southwest: Titus Hopper, Cleveland Early College (Cleveland County Schools);
- Northwest: Desarae Kirkpatrick, Nebo Elementary (McDowell County Schools) and
- Western: Melissa Godfrey, Andrews Elementary (Cherokee County Schools).
Regional winners will each receive $1,000 for personal use and $1,000 for their schools.
A state selection committee will now review the portfolios of the eight regional winners and conduct an extensive interview process before selecting the 2018 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. The winner will be announced May 11 at a celebration luncheon in Cary.
This is the 35th year the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has partnered with The Wells Fargo Foundation to recognize the state’s outstanding principals. Since 1984, when the program began, 38 Principals of the Year and 248 regional recipients have been recognized. In addition, The Wells Fargo Foundation has provided more than $1 million in cash awards during that time to these school leaders.
About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 160 charter schools serving over 1.5 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state's public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.