Meet the 2021 Wake Principal of the Year. He’s been a ‘model’ leader in the pandemic.
Keith Richardson is the Wake County school system’s 2021-22 Principal of the Year, and Bonnie Mwanda is the Assistant Principal of the Year.
The winners were announced Thursday night at a ceremony at the Angus Barn in Raleigh.
Richardson has been principal of Knightdale High School since 2019. Richardson was praised for his leadership, coaching and celebrating achievements among his staff and his commitment to strengthening the school’s relationships with the community.
“I don’t do this job for recognition,” Richardson said during his acceptance speech. “I enter each day ready to give 100% and more to ensure we are creating a safe space for teaching and learning for all our students and staff.
“This is indeed my life’s purpose, and I’m blessed each day to have such an opportunity to show up and do what God gifted me to do.”
Amid the uncertainty of whether graduation ceremonies would be held during the COVID pandemic in May 2020, Richardson and the school’s staff made sure to visit homes of all of the seniors to congratulate them.
“Through every aspect of COVID response, Knightdale High School has served as a model,” said Mark Savage, Wake’s Eastern Area Superintendent, in a news release. “His school hosted laptop distribution, vaccination clinics and was used as an exemplar at board meetings regarding communication and family engagement.”
Richardson started his career as an English teacher at Pasquotank High School in eastern North Carolina. He relocated to Wake County and has served as a principal intern at Leesville Road Middle, an assistant principal at Sycamore Creek Elementary and later principal of York Elementary and Crossroads FLEX High.
Richardson will receive a prize package and compete in the state’s Principal of the Year program.
Richardson was also a finalist last year when Elena Ashburn of Broughton High School in Raleigh was named Wake’s principal of the year. Ashburn went on to become the 2021 North Carolina Principal of the Year.
This year’s other Principal of the Year finalists were:
▪ Raleigh Bame of Laurel Park Elementary in Apex
▪ Teresa Caswell of Parkside Elementary in Morrisville
▪ Shejuanna Rodgers of Apex Friendship Middle in Apex
▪ Annice Williams of Bugg Elementary in Raleigh
Assistant Principal of the Year
Mwanda has been assistant principal of instruction at Heritage High School in Wake Forest since 2017. Prior to that, she worked as an intervention coordinator at Heritage High and a math teacher in Union County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
“So just know I’m in it for every kid every single day,” Mwanda said during her acceptance speech.
Mwanda was recognized by her students, staff and others for her ability to build a welcoming school environment for all students while also embracing differences, according to a release. The district said Mwanda is known for her commitment to doing whatever it takes to meet the needs of every child, even in a school of more than 1,800 students.
“Bonnie is the most hard-working and dedicated influential woman I have ever known,” former Heritage High student Susann Rivera said in a news release. “She doesn’t require external motivators for what she does; she is purely driven from her passion to allow others to grow in every aspect.
“She uses her expertise to inspire others to take the initiative within their own lives. She is a patient and noble leader with pure intentions to enhance her community to flourish.”
Mwanda will also receive a prize package. The other finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year were:
▪ Leslie Blake of Millbrook Elementary in Raleigh
▪ Bill Helfrich of Parkside Elementary in Morrisville
▪ Michael MacGovern of Broughton High in Raleigh
▪ Brandon Warren of Holly Ridge Elementary in Holly Springs
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 8:21 PM with the headline "Meet the 2021 Wake Principal of the Year. He’s been a ‘model’ leader in the pandemic.."
