Barbara Wilkins named interim principal at Norwayne
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 8, 2016 1:46 PM
Full Size
Barbara Wilkins
Barbara Wilkins, former principal at Norwayne Middle School, returned there this week as interim principal.
After retiring from Wayne County Public Schools in 2005, she went on to become the first graduation coach hired by Communities in Schools in 2009.
Norwayne Principal Mario Re resigned from the position Dec. 9, citing personal reasons for his departure. He had been principal at the school since 2005, having been hired there as assistant principal in 2003.
"Mrs. Wilkins is a 31-year veteran educator and administrator who is dedicated to moving our district forward," Dr. Michael Dunsmore, WCPS superintendent, said of the announcement. "Her knowledge and background with Norwayne Middle, along with her desire to see all students become successful, will help ensure continuity of administrative services while the district works to find a new principal to begin next fall."
Mrs. Wilkins career in education began with the Goldsboro City Schools in 1974, as a third-grade teacher at East End School. She temporarily left the field later that year to pursue a master's degree in school counseling, returning in 1976 as a guidance counselor. She worked in that capacity at William Street School and then North Drive Elementary School.
She later earned a master's degree in school administration and in 1983 became assistant principal at Northwest Elementary. Her first appointment as principal was in 2002, at Norwayne.
In 2004, she was selected the district's 2005 WCPS Principal of the Year. She retired in December 2005.
She briefly returned to the district in 2006, working as a part-time counselor at Wayne Early/Middle College High and later in 2008 as a part-time counselor at Fremont STARS Elementary.
In 2009, after city leaders approached the city council with concerns about graduation rates at Goldsboro High School, efforts were made to fund and hire a graduation coach to work with youths at risk of not graduating.
Mrs. Wilkins was named the first graduation coach. In the years since, another coach was added at Southern Wayne High School and now four middle schools also have "success coaches." This year marked her seventh in the role at GHS.
The vacancy created by her move to Norwayne leaves CIS tasked with finding a temporary replacement.
"This is an interim position that we'll fill internally and she plans to return in the fall," said Selena Bennett, executive director of Communities in Schools. "My plan is to cover that position internally. We're working on how we're going to do that right now.
"What I'm hoping I can do is use existing staff that's already been trained because we're already in the second semester."
Mrs. Bennett praised the leadership abilities that led the district to secure Mrs. Wilkins' services during the transition period at the middle school.
"For so many reasons it makes sense," she said. "Barbara knows the community, she served there as principal for so many years. She's the perfect fit and the CIS board and my position is that we want to work with the school system in helping them to fit the need that we have right now.
"She will be sorely missed at Goldsboro High School during this interim but her students will be well taken care of. With the foundation that she has laid, we can put somebody there in the interim that will keep things moving right along until we can put her back in that slot. That's my plan."