Leslie Alexander Named WS/FCS Principal of the Year

Photo courtesy of WS/FCS

Photo courtesy of WS/FCS

Megan Curling, Editor in Chief

On October 13, R.J. Reynolds’ own Leslie Alexander was named Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools principal of the year. Alexander, who will go on to compete in the state’s regional competition for the award in December, felt honored to receive the award.

“My inspiration for doing things that are difficult, are my daughters because I’m in a field that aren’t a lot of women in and so I think that it inspires me to accomplish things so they know they can do whatever they want,” Alexander said.

Alexander came to Reynolds following three years at Kennedy High School. Since her arrival at RJR, growth has been seen in almost every area, an extremely pleasing statistic for the school’s faculty and staff.

“[The most rewarding part of the job is] getting to know the kids, getting to see everybody grow and know they can do it,” Alexander commented.

However, managing a school of around 1,800 students and approximately 150 staff members is not the easiest task, with dozens of things on the agenda everyday.

“I really need to be doing a lot of different things, I want to be in the classrooms to see the kids but sometimes I have other things to be doing. So it’s all prioritizing so that at the end of the day I feel like I did the things that were most important,” Alexander noted.

Though she currently has no plans of leaving RJR anytime soon, Alexander hopes not only to continue to see school growth in coming years, but in her personal career as well.

“I’m really happy doing what I’m doing right now but maybe [would like to] be in a higher position like superintendent down the road after I’ve gained enough experience and done as much good as I can where I’m at,” Alexander said.

All in all, Alexander takes great pride in leading RJR, a trait that is quite evident day to day, as she is often seen visiting classrooms, concerts, or athletic games, (such as the soccer game where this interview took place).

“I just think we are the best school and that’s just how I feel about us. Whether I’m here or it’s 10 years down the road and I’m not, I just think this is the coolest school. I see us as the top school in the state and there’s no reason we can’t be,” Alexander concluded.