This Triangle school leader is now a finalist to be NC’s Principal of the Year
A Wake County principal has been recognized as one of the top school leaders in North Carolina.
Winston Pierce of Farmington Woods Elementary School in Cary was recently named the state’s North Central Region Principal of the Year. Pierce will now be among the nine finalists for the 2024 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year award.
Pierce was surprised with the news at a special assembly at the school last week.
“I am so lucky to come to this school every day and work with all of you,” Pierce said at the ceremony. “It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was little, and I get to do it every day. ... We’re going to make a difference in the world, we’re going to make it a better place. I love you all so very much.”
The 2024 North Carolina Principal of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in May. Elena Ashburn was the last Wake County principal to win the state honor in 2021.
She has worked more than 30 years in Wake County
Pierce was named the Wake County school system’s 2023-24 Principal of the Year in October.
Pierce, 57, has worked in Wake County for more than 30 years, including at Farmington Woods since 2010. In 2018, Farmington Woods received Magnet School of America’s Elementary Magnet School of Merit Award, given annually to the nation’s top elementary magnet school.
Prior to Farmington Woods, Pierce served as principal of Wendell Elementary and assistant principal of Millbrook Elementary in Raleigh.
Pierce holds master’s degrees in both Principal Fellowship and Early Childhood Education from UNC-Chapel Hill.
This story was originally published December 20, 2023 at 5:55 AM.
