Eastern Guilford High Principal Named Piedmont Triad Winner, Wells Fargo NC Finalist

Dr. Darrell A. Harris Jr., principal of Eastern Guilford High School in Guilford County between McLeansville and Gibsonville, has been named the Piedmont Triad regional Principal of the Year and is one of nine finalists for the 2026 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The statewide winner will be announced May 15, 2026, at The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, and the ceremony will be livestreamed on the department’s social media platforms.

The Wells Fargo Principal of the Year program, established in 1984, recognizes principals for leadership and school improvement; the program’s statewide winner will serve as an ambassador for approximately 2,700 North Carolina principals and advise the State Board of Education for a two-year term. Nine regional principals, one from each region, comprise the finalists for the 2026 award.

Harris’s nomination highlights initiatives at Eastern Guilford High centered on school culture, student voice and academic improvement. School leaders developed a schoolwide cell phone policy after surveying teachers and parents and holding student focus groups that gave students a role in co-creating the rules. Harris described the effort this way: "The policy was intentionally framed not as a punishment, but as a commitment to learning and respect, designed to reinforce our culture of support, safety and accountability."

Coverage of Harris’s work credits a leadership approach built on shared decision-making and open communication. Eastern Guilford regularly hosts student focus groups to gather feedback, and teachers participate in professional development opportunities tailored to their individual interests and needs, steps officials cited when announcing the regional recognition.

Eastern Guilford High’s nomination comes after measurable school improvement: the school was once designated low-performing but has since improved student proficiency and growth outcomes "across the board" and recorded gains in SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) scores for teachers. Locally, the school earned Guilford County Schools’ 2025 Hubert B. Humphrey Jr. School Improvement Award for that progress.

State Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green acknowledged the role principals play in broader school communities in remarks tied to the awards process, saying principals "play a critical role in supporting students, educators and communities." The nine regional winners will be honored at the May 15 ceremony in Cary, where one finalist will be named the 2026 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.