Board Approves Principal Appointments
Guilford County Schools Announces New Principal Appointments and Reassignments

Guilford County Schools is proud to announce 16 new principal assignments.

Welborn Middle welcomes Deanna Daniel as its new principal. Daniel most recently served as principal at Rankin Elementary School.  Daniel is dual certified in general elementary education, as well as special education and secondary Spanish. She holds a master’s degree in secondary education from Le Moyne College.  

Stephanie Rakes will be the new principal at Rankin Elementary. She is coming to the school from Vandalia Elementary where she had a focus on the whole child, leading students to win a Spirit of North Carolina award from the United Way of Greater Greensboro. Rakes is a lifelong educator and worked to increase community partnerships, and parent involvement while at Vandalia.

Vandalia Elementary will now be led by Dr. Calandra Davis who comes to GCS from Hickory Public Schools. During her time in Hickory, she improved end-of-grade test scores for all students, more significantly in specific subgroups including Black and Hispanic students as well as English learners. She has more than a decade of experience in education and received her Doctorate degree in Education Leadership and Administration from South Carolina State University.

Kristina Wheat has been reassigned to Northern Middle. She previously served as principal at Johnson Street Global Studies. During her tenure at Johnson Street Global studies, the school has met or exceeded growth and seen significant improvements in student performance.

Assistant Principal Meredith Boger has been promoted to the role of principal at Johnson Street Global Studies. As assistant principal at Johnson Street, she assisted with raising the school letter grade and decreasing overall disciplinary infractions. Boger also implemented a mentorship program for minority males.

Dr. Kimberly Jones-Goods is the new principal at Brown Summit Middle. She previously served as principal at Sumner Elementary. Before leading Sumner Elementary, she served as an assistant principal at Northern High, where she provided mentoring and educational leadership to school staff.

Academy at Smith welcomes Rachel Lewis as its new principal. Lewis comes to the school from SCALE Greensboro. Before leading the school, she served as assistant principal at Smith High school where she led an effort to implement a Signature Career Academy focused on advanced manufacturing and engineering.

SCALE Greensboro will now be led by Duane Lewis. Most recently, he served as an assistant principal at Southwest High where he led the Equal Opportunity School initiative to increase student enrollment in AP courses. He also served as assistant principal at Jamestown Middle.

Brian McCain has been named as the new principal at McNair Elementary School. McCain comes to the school from Nathanael Greene Elementary where he served the school for 11 years working with students, parents, and teachers to improve academic opportunities and overall growth for children. McCain has more than 20 years of experience in education.

Toks Walls will be the new principal at Nathanael Greene Elementary. She is coming from Guilford E-Learning Virtual Academy where she served as principal and assistant principal. She facilitated teacher professional learning in a virtual setting and worked to increase student engagement. Walls made great strides in improving education outcomes during one of the most unique school years in history.

Tanicka Robeson will remain as principal at Guilford E-Learning Virtual Academy, which is now named Guilford eLearning University prep. Robeson previously served as the principal for Guilford eLearning University Prep which served grades 6-8. Tonight, the Board of Education voted in favor of combining the virtual elementary and middle schools.

Students at Western Middle will see a familiar face in the principal’s office this school year. Chase Arrington has been promoted to the role of principal. Arrington has served as assistant principal at the school for four years and was recognized by the district in 2021 as Assistant Principal of the Year. He currently supervises and evaluates teachers and facilitates professional learning in math.

Northeast Middle school welcomes David Graves as principal. Most recently, Graves served as an assistant principal at Ragsdale High where he assisted with growing the school’s overall composite score. During the pandemic, Graves worked with the senior leadership to develop a strategic plan to continue instructing students. He also organized staff teams to perform wellness checks on families and students

Nicholas Dixon is the new principal at Hairston Middle. He previously served as principal at Foust Elementary, where he effectively implemented professional learning communities and extended classroom supports with a focus on increasing student performance.  He has overseen the proposals which landed his school more than $80 thousand in grant funding and spearheaded the first outdoor learning environment in the district.

Dr. Kendrick Alston is the new principal at Foust Elementary. Dr. Alston is coming to the school from Shadybrook Elementary where he implemented policies and procedures for a professional learning community centered on teaching and learning. Dr. Alston enhanced school culture and improved educational outcomes for all students at Shadybrook Elementary.

Shadybrook Elementary welcomes Abu Zaeem as principal. He comes to the district from Alamance-Burlington schools.  Zaeem has more than a decade of experience. Before serving as a principal in both Lexington City and Guilford County Schools, Zaeem served as a math teacher and school administrator. He received a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from High Point University.