On the latest episode of Education Matters, we were joined by the 2026-27 Wells Fargo North Carolina Regional Principals of the Year. To conclude our conversation, we asked what they’d liked people to know about their school and/or North Carolina’s local public schools as a whole. Here’s what they had to say:
Kelly Flora, Nags Head Elementary School, Northeast Principal of the Year
I think after our conversations here today, it’s clear that it’s every child, every day. I feel that is something that we all put forward: leading with purpose, teaching with heart. We are stronger together, and I just, you know, every child, every day, I think that is the key to our job and our success every single day.
Dr. Walker, Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy North Carolina Principal of the Year
I would like people to know about my school, firstly, it’s an amazing opportunity to elevate the opportunities for young women and to provide instructionally challenging, rigorous opportunities in fields that women are often not represented in. And so I’m just amazed at the way the young women lean into leadership and just really lean into being challenged academically.
When I think about public schools across our state, I would definitely want people to keep three things in mind: people, purpose, and passion. So, recognizing that people are always going to come first—people over policy. And making sure that there’s intention and awareness around that, and that we are purposeful educators, purposeful parents, purposeful community members, and a purposeful state that wants to celebrate the future that we have of students. [Educators] are passionate about making North Carolina public schools the best in the nation, and also making our state the absolute best that it could be.
So, I think public education is powered by people, grounded in purpose, and definitely rooted and sustained in passion, and that’s what makes us extraordinary here in North Carolina.
Dustin Farmer, Ashe County High School, Northwest Principal of the Year
I love the work that’s going on in public education in North Carolina. I feel like it’s moving in the right direction, and specifically in Ashe County Schools. As I mentioned, I’m a product of Ashe County, and I love our students, I love our community, I love our families, and I love Ashe County High School.
Last year was the first year we achieved a 90% graduation rate, the first time in school history. And so we are doing some great things in Ashe County Schools, and it starts at home. It starts with our elementary folks, and it runs right through the middle school, and then we are blessed to be at the high school level and receive those students.
It is our job to prepare them, and I feel like we’re doing a good job, especially in North Carolina, but in Ashe County, to prepare them for whatever’s next, whether that be college, a trade of some kind, or they go right into work, or they go into the military, which we had a couple students do. So it is our job to get them prepared, and I feel like we’re doing a good job of that.
Dr. Latrecia Allen, John Griffin Middle School, Sandhills Principal of the Year
I’m a true believer that in North Carolina, across the state, we have the best and the most premier professionals and educators. They come in, and we see the hard work that they commit to on a day-to-day basis through PLCs, engagement with students, and the community stakeholders as well.
We see firsthand that they are committed to student success, and they do it day in and day out, challenges, sacrifices, and all. So we truly do have the best educators in our state, and it’s our goal to continue to support them for what they do for our kids, because our kids truly deserve it.
Dr. Marlow Artis, Craven Early College High School, Southeast Principal of the Year
I am so privileged to serve as the principal of Craven Early College in New Bern, and we’re celebrating 20 years of excellence this year, which is really, really exciting when you just think about the historic achievement that has taken place and the transformative experiences that students have had for 20 years.
North Carolina leads in the nation as it relates to our early colleges. I mean, we have individuals all over the nation who come and visit our early colleges, so it’s something to lift up. But not just early colleges—I mean, we have so many dynamic programs and opportunities in schools in our entire state, and each and every day we have dedicated individuals who are giving it all that they have on behalf of their students.
We have the great fortune as Regional Principals of the Year to be highlighted and to tell our stories, but there are so many stories that we don’t hear. I’m inspired by the educators who serve in our state and who are dedicated to making certain that our students have what they need.
So it’s really a humbling experience to be with this great group, but it’s also a humbling experience to be a North Carolina educator. It is really something that I do not take lightly, the chance to serve in our state, and we are really fortunate. We have so many fantastic things happening here in North Carolina.
Jennifer McBrayer, CHASE Middle School, Western Principal of the Year
Well, I’m just very thankful to be a principal in my community. It turns out CHASE is actually an acronym. When you see it in print, it’s all in capital letters because each of those letters stands for a town in our community.
What that tells me is not only am I the principal of this school, serving my students, but that leadership actually extends out into the community. And so I want to leverage that leadership to make sure that I provide every child with an opportunity to succeed and grow, and I also want to advocate for the things that will help us do that.
I want everybody to know that if they come through these doors, or the doors of any public school in North Carolina, that they’re able to get a quality education and be successes in their community.
Deborah Brown, The Exploris School, Charter Principal of the Year
This is the 30th anniversary of the signing of charter school law in North Carolina, and Explorers is one of those original schools.
So, for 30 years we have been empowering students to improve their world, starting with our very youngest learners. The idea that you can make a difference right now—you don’t have to wait until you’re in middle school, and middle schoolers have to wait till high school, and high school is getting you ready for college, and etc.
We want kids to know that they can start making a difference at this moment, and we really want to be living into the mission of Explorers’ public charters, which were to be innovative laboratory schools that would share out and scale out best practices so we could be the rising tide to lift all the education boats in public education in North Carolina.
Check out this and other episodes of Education Matters at ncforum.org/educationmatters.
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