By Joanie Morris
Salisbury Post
A.L. Brown principal Debra Morris has been named Southwest Regional Principal of the Year.
In June 2007, Morris was named North Carolina High School Principal of the year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. She has been principal at the school since 2005.
With this most recent announcement, Morris competes against other regional winners to become the Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year.
Last month, Kannapolis Intermediate School teacher Bernard Waugh earned Regional Teacher of the Year honors.
Morris will receive $1,500 as part of her award, and A.L. Brown High School will get $1,500. She will be honored at a special luncheon in Raleigh on April 3 where the Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year winner will be announced.
“We are all so proud of Debra Morris,” said Kannapolis City Schools Superintendent, Dr. Jo Anne Byerly. “She is one of the most effective and charismatic leaders I have ever seen, and she truly deserves this honor. She combines vision with passion and inspires others to achieve excellence. She is a remarkable leader and an outstanding representative of Kannapolis City Schools.”
Since taking over at A.L. Brown, Morris has made many changes that have improved student achievement, discipline, communication, and staff morale. Writing scores have jumped 25 points under Dr. Morris’ leadership and are now well above the state average. A.L. Brown also is above the state average in Biology, Chemistry, Algebra II, Geometry, Civics & Economics, and overall high school achievement
Dr. Morris has launched many innovative efforts at A.L. Brown to improve student achievement. The most recent is the Freshman Academy, which is a school-within-a-school. It started in August and keeps ninth graders together during most of the day.
A.L. Brown is the only area high school with a Freshman Academy. Ninth graders are assigned to small classes and a core group of teachers. Those teachers work together with counselors, parents, and upper classmen to make sure the 9th graders make a smooth transition to high school.
Other changes led by Dr. Morris include adding Latin classes, peer tutoring, a Teacher Cadet program for prospective educators, Advanced Placement classes, a Model United Nations team, and a strong focus by all teachers on reading and writing. She also has given teachers common planning time to work together to improve student achievement, and she started a special computer lab that operates after school. It allows students who have been suspended to continue their classes and stay on track for graduation.
Another factor in Dr. Morris’ success has been her successful implementation of a uniform student dress code at A.L. Brown. She got input from parents, students, and staff so the change to the new dress code would go smoothly.
“I did not have to send one student home the first day of school for a dress code violation,” said Morris. “That was one of my most rewarding days to see students do the right thing. It’s much more difficult for students to have ‘attitude’ with their shirt-tails tucked into their pants,” she said.
Dr. Morris also led the implementation of the Connect-ED parent communication system in Kannapolis City Schools. She piloted the system and helped give parents more information about their children’s attendance, behavior, and classroom performance. KCS now uses Connect-ED at all of its schools.
Those who know Debra Morris say her greatest gift is the way she interacts with students and staff and helps them succeed. She also attends extracurricular activities that involve her students.
“I try to call students by name and hug them,” Morris says. “I try to make them all feel important. I take an interest in them. They know I love them and care about them. To see a student or teacher meet with success is one of my greatest rewards. I love going to work every day, and I would not want to be anywhere else.”
Debra Morris has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in Political Science, from Appalachian State University. She holds a Master of Arts in School Administration and a Master of Arts in English from UNC Charlotte. She also earned her Doctorate from UNC Charlotte.
Prior to coming to A.L. Brown, Dr. Morris served as a principal and central office administrator in Lincoln County Schools. She began her career as a teacher in Union County Schools and was an assistant principal in the Iredell-Statesville School System.