Wake principal and Chapel Hill teacher named among North Carolina’s top educators
A Wake County principal and a Chapel Hill teacher are now both in the running to be named the top educators in North Carolina.
On Friday, Keith Richardson of Knightdale High School was announced as the North Central Region Principal of the Year, making him one of nine finalists for the statewide title.
A day earlier, Brian Link of East Chapel Hill High School was named the North Central Region Teacher of the Year, putting him among nine statewide finalists for the top prize.
Both men will find out in the spring if they’re, respectively, the 2022 North Carolina Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year. If they win, it will be the second year in a row that the Triangle has swept both awards.
The announcements came at surprise celebrations at their schools heading into winter break. A loud roar greeted Richardson in Knightdale High’s auditorium on Friday as school staff, his parents and his husband cheered his accomplishment.
“I’m a small country boy, so it just shows that it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Richardson, 41, said in an interview after receiving the award. “It’s all about your determination and doing what you’re passionate about and what you love.
“As long as you’re doing what you love and you’re passionate about it, anything is possible. And today is evidence of that.”
Making people feel safe
Richardson was named the Wake County school system’s 2021-22 Principal of the Year in October. He has led Knightdale High since 2019.
Richardson has been praised for his leadership, coaching and celebrating achievements among his staff and his commitment to strengthening the school’s relationships with the community.
Richardson said he makes sure to greet students each day to help them feel safe.
“You can’t have a strong learning environment until people know that they are safe and welcomed,” Richardson said.
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 try to become the second person from Wake County to be named North Carolina Principal of the Year. Elena Asbhurn of Broughton High School won the state title earlier this year.
Teacher promotes social justice
Brian Link is a social justice civics and economics teacher at East Chapel Hill High School. He was named the 2021-22 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Teacher of the Year in May.
“The best thing we can possibly do, the most meaningful thing we can do is to recognize that success is a result of WE, the team,” Link said during his impromptu acceptance speech on Thursday.
Link, who is now in his 12th year of teaching, began directing the school’s Social Justice Academy in 2011. School leaders point to how Link strives to promote equity and social-emotional awareness in his classes.
Link will try to earn back-to-back North Carolina Teacher of the Year awards for the Chapel HIll-Carrboro school system. Eugenia Floyd of Mary Scroggs Elementary School won the state title earlier this year.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Wake principal and Chapel Hill teacher named among North Carolina’s top educators."
