CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced its 2023-24 Principal of the Year in an awards ceremony on Thursday morning.
Dwight Thompson, the principal of Renaissance West STEAM Academy beat out eight other finalists to win the honor of CMS Principal of the Year.
CMS announced the nine finalists earlier this year. One principal was selected from each of the nine learning communities in the CMS system.
A native of Burlington, N.C., Principal Thompson joined CMS after 17 years of teaching elementary school with Guilford County Schools. He became principal at Tuckaseegee Elementary School in 2019 and, in 2021, Thompson was named principal of Renaissance West STEAM Academy
Thompson has been passionate about education since childhood. His decision to become a principal after over a decade in education stemmed from his desire to make a bigger impact in the community.
"I've always wanted to be a teacher. I've always wanted to be a principal ever since I was a child," Thompson said. "Like literally pretending to teach. I think the added benefit is that the majority of my kids look like me, so I really feel like I know I'm giving back"
Thompson said that growing up, he never had a teacher of color. With that in mind, he knew he wanted to represent his community. “I thought that I needed to be more representative of that particular population for them to see themselves in that career," Thompson said.
“I wanted to expand my impact to a community that was struggling academically,” Thompson said. “I knew that I was doing important work and making a difference. That's always been my go-to.”
A role model and inspiration to many, Thompson's award is well-deserved.
Principal Thompson will now be up for consideration for North Carolina's Principal of the Year.