Members of the first cohort of the Appalachian Principal Fellows Program received a warm welcome today from Caldwell County Schools administrators who conducted leadership training at the Education Center and coordinated school visits with principals. 

"We have a strong partnership with App State, and it was our privilege to hold one of the Leadership Days for these aspiring principals," said Superintendent Don Phipps. 

Through a competitive grant process, Appalachian State University was one of six institutions selected by the Principal Fellows Commission.. which provides a pathway for 12 state school districts and the Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance to train and support future principals through the Reich College of Education.

The first cohort of 15 fellows includes the following:

• Desteney Greene, Academy at Middle Fork
• Katherine Seno, Alexander County Schools
• Cynthia Harless, Ashe County Schools
• Sarah Call, Burke County Schools
• Shania Holt, Burke County Schools
• Lauren Huffman, Burke County Schools
• Shana Stewart, Caldwell County Schools
• Brent Poplin, Elkin City Schools
• Jami Gullick, Newton-Conover Schools
• Daniel Machon, Watauga County Schools
• Scotty Schaffer-Greer, Watauga County Schools
• Megan Gorski, Wilkes County Schools
• Alexander Baucom, Wilkes County Schools
• Christopher Jeffords, Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools
• Laketha Ebrahim-Blackwell,Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools

The program provides participants with full in-state tuition and fees for the 36 credit hour, two-year Masters in School Administration graduate program. Candidates receive salary replacement during the second year for the 10-month, full-time internship at the salary level commensurate with the current position in the 2021-2022 school year (plus any relevant step increases and raises). Participation in the Principal Fellows Program requires a commitment of service for four years in a North Carolina Public School as a school administrator, and candidates must repay the grant through service.

In the two-year program, the fellows will be prepared to serve as school administrators in North Carolina Public Schools. The fellows will benefit from participating in Leadership Days at each of the partnering school districts, additional leadership opportunities through the NWRESA, and supplemental trainings on equity and literacy through the NC Principal Fellows State Program. They will also receive an equity-focused, job-embedded coach to help support them in their first year of employment.