The finalists for the 2016 North Carolina Principal of the Year include eight administrators across the state. Matthew Hunt, principal of Northern High School in Durham, is on the list. Hunt is the finalist from the north central region. He was also named the 2016 Principal of the Year by Durham Public Schools.
Two years ago, WUNC spoke with Hunt for the North Carolina Teacher Project. Caleb Crawley was a senior at Northern High School then, and interviewed Hunt about the principal's background. Read the story hereor listen below:
Each regional winner will receive $1,000 for personal use and $1,000 for their schools.
“Our eight regional recipients exemplify the high-quality leaders guiding North Carolina public schools," State Superintendent June Atkinson said in a statement. "The state’s record-breaking graduation rate is a testament to the relentless dedication they have to ensuring students have the academic skills they need to be successful."
The state's Principal of the Year winner will be announced in May. The following eight principals are finalists:
- Northeast: William Peele, Bertie Middle (Bertie County Schools)
- Southeast: Molly White, Lincoln Elementary (Brunswick County Schools)
- North Central: Matthew Hunt, Northern High (Durham Public Schools)
- Sandhills: Melody Chalmers, E.E. Smith High (Cumberland County Schools)
- Piedmont-Triad: Wayne Duggins, South Stokes High (Stokes County Schools)
- Southwest: Maureen Furr, South Mecklenburg High (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools)
- Northwest: Kelly Nicholson, Oxford Elementary (Catawba County Schools)
- Western: Peggy Marshall, Sugarloaf Elementary (Henderson County Schools)
