Schools announce principal finalists
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 27, 2017 1:45 AM
Wayne County Public Schools' human resources department and the Wayne County Principals and Assistant Principals Association, or PAPA, announced finalists for the district's principal of the year and assistant principal of the year.
This is a new twist on the selection process, patterned in part around the Teacher of the Year concept, officials said. The three finalists represent the elementary, middle and high school categories.
Finalists for the Principal of the Year include Youlanda Wynn of Brogden Primary School, Tasha Christian Adams of Edgewood Community Developmental School and Dr. Earl Moore of Charles B. Aycock High.
Assistant principal finalists include Maguy Yancey of Carver Elementary, Jamel Jones of Dillard Middle and Jesse Taylor of Spring Creek High.
Wynn began her education career in 1997 at E.K. Poe Elementary in Durham, teaching fifth grade. In 1998, she returned to her home county, teaching second grade at North Drive Elementary. She later worked at Northeast Elementary and in 2006 became assistant principal at Grantham School. She was named Brogden Primary School principal in 2010. A North Carolina Teaching Fellow and N.C. Principals Fellow, he earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in school administration.
Adams' education career began in 1989 at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, teaching grades 3-8 and special education students in K-12 for 12 years. A native of Wayne County, she was hired by this district in 2001, as an EC resource teacher at Fremont Stars Elementary and Norwayne Middle schools. In 2002, she became assistant principal at Brogden Primary. The next year she was named interim principal at Edgewood and then principal in 2004. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education, teaching credentials for K-12 mental disabilities and a master's degree in education administration and curriculum supervision.
Moore has a long affiliation with CBA, beginning his career there in 1977 as a marketing and fashion merchandising teacher. He later moved into the administrative role, as assistant principal, before being transferred in the same area at Meadow Lane Elementary School. He served for five years as principal at Brogden Middle. In 2007, he returned to his Golden Falcon roots, as CBA principal. His degrees include a bachelor's in church ministry, a master's degree in school administration and a doctorate in education.
Yancey started out as a world language teacher in 1996, teaching in Paris, France (as a Spanish teacher), Madrid, Spain (as a French teacher) and Beijing, China (as a French teacher). In 2000, she came to the U.S. to teach French, Spanish and EL (English learner) at Goldsboro High School, where she worked for 14 years. In addition to teaching French and Spanish, she also served as a world language instructional leader for seven years with the N.C. Virtual Public Schools.
In 2014, she moved into school administration, as assistant principal at Carver Elementary. Her credentials include a master's degree in foreign languages and K-12 and superintendent certifications in school administration.
Jones has a bachelor's degree in psychology, and master's degrees in curriculum and instruction and school administration, as well as certifications in middle school math and K-12 EC general curriculum. His career started in 2007 as an exceptional children, or EC, shadow/teacher assistant at Meadow Lane Elementary. In 2009, he became an EC teacher with Greene County Schools before returning to WCPS the following year in the same capacity at his alma mater, Charles B. Aycock High. He was named assistant principal at Dillard Middle in 2013.
Taylor's education career began in 1970 in Chesterfield, Va., where he was an industrial arts teacher at Chesterfield Intermediate School. He also taught at Thompson Middle School in Richmond, Va. before moving into the school administration role in 1977 and working in several Virginia schools.
In 1992, he was named administrative assistant to the superintendent of Carolina County School and the following year became a principal. He was hired by WCPS in 1997 and has since worked at Goldsboro Middle, Eastern Wayne Middle, CBA and most recently, Spring Creek High. He has a bachelor's degree in industrial arts education, a master's degree in educational administration and supervision and a doctorate in ministry with a concentration in pastoral leadership.
Finalists are required to submit a professional portfolio and will be interviewed by a selection committee. The outcome will be announced at a special reception to be held at the Professional Development and Family Engagement Center, located on the campus of the School Street Early Learning Center, on Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m.