Orange High School Principal Jason Johnson traces his leadership skills back to the G
Before he came to UNCG, before he became a high school principal, and before the National Association of Secondary School Principals named him the 2026 National Principal of the Year, Jason Johnson ’02 MSA, ’11 EdS was a high school kid in Durham watching the way his own principal at Hillside High School demonstrated leadership.
“I still remember his name,” Johnson says. “My principal was Mr. Richard Hicks. All the students loved him to death. He was tough. He was firm. But he loved his students. I just thought he was an awesome guy.”
Hicks’ most enduring lesson in leadership, Johnson says, was in the way he established personal connections — walking the halls, talking to students, asking them questions, and remembering their names. Hicks, Johnson says, showed his students that he cared about them. And that’s what made him a good leader.
The UNCG effect: Training leaders
Last year, Johnson, principal at Orange High School in Orange County, NC, was named Wells Fargo’s 2025 North Carolina Principal of the Year. He was the third honoree since 2000 to have spent time at UNCG. Patrice Faison ’12 ES, ’14 EdD, won in 2012, followed by Kisha Clemons ’20 ES ’23 ES.
He credits UNCG for the foundation that elevated him to both awards. The things he learned at UNCG, Johnson says, were central to his understanding of education. He’s carried those lessons with him through his many roles in the North Carolina public school system.
Johnson taught in the classroom for four years before finding a role in administration as assistant principal at A.L. Stanback Middle School in Hillsborough. Then he became the first principal of Gravelly Hill Middle School when it opened in Efland in 2006.
His time in the classroom, he says, helped him appreciate what his teachers go through every day.
“There are times as a principal that you need to be really empathetic with your staff,” he says. “This is the difference between being a boss and a leader. A boss tries to push people to be driven. A leader convinces people why they should be driven. At UNCG, they weren’t training bosses; they were training leaders.”
Dr. Craig Peck, chair of the Department of Education Leadership and Cultural Foundations(ELC), remarked on the leadership culture espoused by the School of Education.
“In ELC’s educational leadership programs, we seek to develop thoughtful, caring school leaders who support students and staff, improve instruction, and engage with families and local communities,” he said. “Jason is an exceptional example of what graduates of ELC’s programs can accomplish.”
Johnson remembers other UNCG mentors who influenced him alongside his own high school principal. It was UNCG professor Dr. Ron Williamson, he says, who on the first day of class had each of his students write a purpose statement about education. And then, right before they all graduated, he had them write another one, “because those two years at UNCG changed you,” Johnson says.
And he remembers the sage advice Dr. Carl Lashley bestowed upon him.
“He said, ‘I bet you change as you become an administrator,’” Johnson remembers. “The whole point was that, as you go through the struggle, as you go through politics, as you go through complaints and are trying to find yourself as a leader, you will change. Leadership will change you. But you want to stay as true to your purpose of education as possible.”
On leading and leadership
Johnson’s take on leadership, he says, might be what elevated him from NC Principal of the Year to the national honor.
“I was willing to be vulnerable,” he says. “I was willing to talk about some of my strengths and some of the great things we’re doing at Orange High School. But most importantly, I was willing to talk about some of my struggles as a leader.”
Leaders, he says, don’t often show vulnerability. But behind the brave facade of every true leader lies a well of self-doubt. “I think as leaders, we do a disservice to other leaders when we don’t share our struggles,” he says. “I am leading as a human being. I’m going to show up every day, and I’m going to treat people like human beings. I’m going to have expectations of you. There will be times when I hold you accountable. But at the end of the day, we are all trying to do what’s right — and most importantly, do what’s right for the kids.”
When teachers and staff call him “Boss,” he says, it makes him cringe a little.
“I’m not here to tell you what to do,” he says. “I’m here to guide you. I’m here to help you accomplish things you may never have thought you would be able to accomplish. I’m here to help us do what’s right for students.”
Finding joy in public schools
“Over the years, public schools have gotten better and better,” Johnson says. “North Carolina public schools offer so many different programs; we have something for everyone.”
“But I feel like public schools are currently under attack,” he continues. “What’s beautiful about that is that we’re still showing up every day and we’re doing the impossible. We’re educating children, and they’re going out and doing great things. I am a product of North Carolina public schools, as are many of my colleagues. Some of the greatest leaders we have in this country are public school graduates. It’s very difficult to sell me on anything else but our public schools.”
The best part of it, he says, is that “we’re making this thing work — the staff, the students, the community, just making Orange High School run right. I love the fact that I’m approachable, that my teachers can push back on me and I don’t get mad. I just love the fact that we make this public school thing work here at Orange High School.”
His favorite time of year is graduation, which Orange High holds inside UNC-Chapel Hill’s Dean E. Smith Center, home of the Tar Heels.
“There’s nothing like standing in the Dean Dome, a couple thousand parents hooting and hollering for their kids,” he says. “Kids are walking across the stage and I’m giving them their diplomas, watching them take this step in life, seeing these kids who made it when you had your doubts some days. You can’t beat graduation day as a high school principal. That’s the ultimate.”
Story by Brian Clarey, University Communications
Photos courtesy Jason Johnson and Elaine Darby/NCDPI
