DPI Qualifications
The candidate must be a principal of a North Carolina public school and have at least four years experience as an administrator (years may be a combination of assistant principal, principal and central office experience). In a traditional school setting, a principal is a person designated by a local board of education as the head of a school with 100 or more pupils in average daily membership (ADM) and/or with seven or more full-time, state-allotted teachers. The candidate must hold a valid principal's license.

Candidates should merit the respect and admiration of students, teachers, co-workers, and parents. They should be active, not only in their schools, but also in their communities where they distinguish themselves as leaders. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to improve the achievement of students from various backgrounds and with differing capabilities. Administrative and teaching experience, at both primary and secondary levels, is deemed an asset to the candidate.

Selection Process

The Guilford County Schools Principal of the Year selection process mirrors that of the state. Anyone may make a nomination including staff, parents, students, or community members. Nominees must produce a portfolio which is reviewed by a selection committee. Finalists are selected for interviews based on the ranking from their portfolio score. The committee is composed of central office administrators, teachers of the year, principals of the year, community members and university representatives. The committee interviews and ranks the finalists. An elementary and secondary (includes middle and high schools) grade level winner is chosen from the finalists. One of these is selected as GCS Principal of the Year.

After selection, the district level winner will participate in the North Carolina Principal of the Year competition per the following timeline:

• November 30, 2006 - Portfolios of local Principals of the Year are due to DPI
• January 2007 - LEA Principal of the Year interviews are conducted in each of the eight educational regions
• February 2007 - LEA Regional luncheons held to announce regional winners
• February/March 2007 – Interviews and site visits for eight regional finalists
• May 2007 – State awards luncheon/Raleigh 2007 Wachovia Principal of the Year announced

Nominees who met DPI guidelines and completed the portfolio for the 2007 Guilford County Schools Principal of the Year include:

• Laverne Bass, Frazier Elementary
• Valerie Bridges, Jesse Wharton Elementary
• Lewis Ferebee, Hairston Middle
• LaToy Kennedy, Bluford Elementary 
• Angelo Kidd, Northwest High
• Grenita Lathan, Washington Elementary
• Linda Lyon, Gateway Education Center
• Francine Mallory, Peck Elementary
• Alan Parker, Southwest High
• Jesse Pratt, Allen Middle
• Judy Robbins, Madison Elementary
• Bill Stewart, Northwest Middle
• Nola Taylor, Mendenhall Middle

Six Finalists

Lewis Ferebee

In his second year as the instructional leader for Hairston Middle, Lewis is proud of the many accomplishments of his students and staff. Hairston middle school met 100% of AYP targets in reading, increased Algebra I performance by 25 percentage points and was named one of the 15 most improved schools in Guilford County. Hairston consistently led the district in Algebra I, Pre-Algebra, 8th grade Math and Algebraic Thinking quarterly benchmarks. This is Lewis’s fourth consecutive year as a principal of the year nominee. His supervisors believe he possesses all the qualities of a superb leader. He is a visionary goal oriented problem solver, who has the ability to lead people to action.  

Angelo Kidd

After thirty-eight years in education, Angelo Kidd believes you should always leave a place better than you found it. Under his leadership, Southern and Northeast High Schools grew academically. During his tenure, Northeast High School received the Hugh Humphrey Award for Most Improved High School. This year Northwest High school was awarded the Gold Star Achievement Award from the High Schools That Work network. Staff members are impressed by his knowledge base on best practices and feel his data driven instruction is “off the charts”. Angelo believes vision and reality through empowerment of teachers will pay huge dividends at Northwest High.             

Grenita Lathan

Grenita Lathan has been Principal at Washington Elementary since January of 2005. Despite facing many challenges, under her leadership parents have become more involved and staff morale is at an all time high! Grenita firmly believes her job is to lead the way and provide hope and a future for all of the children at Washington. A staff member describes Grenita as an individual who leads with,”…vigor and compassion, strength and courage, humility and respect – beckoning all the while for all of us to come alongside and share in the grand adventure of educating children and shaping the future”.       

Linda Mixson Lyon

Linda Lyon has been principal at Gateway Education Center since July of 2004. As the daughter of a Marine fighter pilot, she grew up under the expectation to be a voice for those individuals who are not being heard. As principal at Gateway, she has worked hard to become the voice both for children with disabilities and their teachers.  With a student population that is 93% nonverbal, the constant theme throughout the building is communication and literacy. A supervisor describes Linda as “…an extremely knowledgably individual who demonstrates a flexibility to work with diverse populations.” She consistently displays qualities of initiative, conscientiousness, and professionalism.        

Judy Robbins

Judy Robbins, who currently serves as the principal of Madison Elementary, has been in education for twenty-four years. Madison has met AYP goals for all sub-groups for the last three years in a row. The school’s leadership team credits the school’s success, in part, to Ms. Robbin’s non-nonsense leadership style, her trust in the faculty, and the development of a professional learning community. Mrs. Robbins is proud of the partnership the school has established with NC A&T State University as a Professional Development school. Ms. Robbins has been described as a highly effective instructional leader who offers resources and support to accomplish the goal at hand.

Bill Stewart

Bill Stewart has worked in the field of education for more than thirty-four years. He has been the principal at Northwest Middle School since July of 2004. In the 2004-2005 school year, Northwest was named an Honor School of Excellence. During 2005-2006, 96% of white students and 95.3% of African American students were proficient in reading. Dr. Stewart firmly believes that for a school to be successful, all stakeholders must actively participate in decision making. Dr. Stewart has been described as a leader who understands the complexity of managing an institution of strong parents, strong teachers and strong students. He is unafraid of the challenge and welcomes the dialogue. He has led by example.