Mr. Eric Fitts from Brentwood Magnet Elementary school was named the Wake County Public School System’s 2015 Principal of the Year on October 7.
Mr. Fitts has been the principal of Brentwood since 2013, but previously served as the assistant principal of Wendell Middle School for four years, and in 2011 became the assistant principal of Brentwood.
Mr. Fitts is grateful to be chosen for the coveted and prestigious award, “It was a tremendous feeling winning the award. There are several great principals in the Wake County Public School System and I was honored to even be considered a finalist. I was and still am, truly humbled to be the winner and represent this great county,” said Fitts in an email interview.
After only two years as principal, Mr. Fitts has witnessed success and an increase in learning potential at Brentwood: test scores have increased 17.8 percentage points and reading scores by 8.4 percentage points.
Also, in April 2015, under Mr. Fitts, the school won the Donald Waldrip Award from Magnet Schools of America, the group’s second highest national award.
There is no doubt Mr. Fitts has had a powerful and direct influence on the academic performance of Brentwood Elementary. Mr. Fitts’ vast experiences in education help him to lend a guiding hand to his students, and inspire them to overcome challenges to become the pioneers of the 21st century.
Mr. Fitts strives to maintain and live up to his position as principal of the year, and yearns to see his students grow and learn. Fitts does everything in his power to ensure all children are given the best education and learning experience they can obtain, “I have always made decisions and recommendations for educational opportunities that I felt was in the best interest of kids. I meet with students, parents, staff and community members to understand how the school can best meet student needs and how we can improve their learning each day,” said Fitts in an email interview.
“I will continue with that growth mindset and support kids the best way that I can, every day. I want to also extend more opportunities for growth and learning for the students at Brentwood and working with more community partnerships will help support this mission as well,” added Fitts.
As a reward for winning Principal of the Year, Mr. Fitts received an array of generous gifts: a $1,000 check, an Apple iPad Mini, a $100 gift card from Angus Barn, an HP printer and a rolling cart full of miscellaneous office supplies. Brentwood Elementary School also received a $1,000 reward.
