Dr. Roxann Sykes of Raleigh's Dillard Drive Magnet Elementary is WCPSS Principal of the Year after leading it out of low-performing status. Garner AP also won.

Dr. Roxann Sykes, principal of Dillard Drive Magnet Elementary in Raleigh, is the Wake County Public School System’s 2026-27 Principal of the Year. The district announced the award Thursday.

Xavier Wallace-McGrew of South Garner High, in Garner about 10 miles southeast, was named 2026-27 Assistant Principal of the Year. Both awards are in the district’s announcement of Oct. 1.

A school turned around

Sykes has led Dillard Drive since 2019. In that time it has changed from a traditional elementary school into a Pre-K-5 Spanish Immersion magnet school with about 650 students.

The district said the school has:

  • moved out of low-performing status
  • seen every student group meet growth expectations last school year
  • raised math proficiency by seven percentage points on the 2026 end-of-grade tests
  • built a PTA with a board and a budget, from what the district called a previously limited one
  • expanded daytime showcases for families, after parents asked to see learning firsthand

The school’s families come from more than 55 countries and speak more than 35 languages, the district said. That mix is built into the school’s global studies curriculum.

“I am most proud of transitioning Dillard Drive into a thriving magnet school with the programs we have today,” Sykes said in the district’s announcement. “The joy that I see in the classrooms is largely because of our magnet theme, and I’m super proud of being able to lead that transition.”

Two decades in Wake schools

Sykes has worked in the district for 20 years. She was an assistant principal at Washington Magnet Elementary and was the district’s 2018-19 Assistant Principal of the Year. She has also been a principal intern at Fuquay-Varina Elementary and a kindergarten through third grade teacher at Bugg Magnet Elementary.

She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from High Point University and is National Board Certified. She also teaches in North Carolina Central University’s Master of School Administration program as an adjunct professor.

Assistant Principal of the Year

Wallace-McGrew has been an assistant principal at South Garner High since 2019. He started as a second grade teacher and worked as a dean of students and an assistant principal in Durham County before joining Wake.

The district said he leads instruction across English, social studies, career and technical education, ESL, world languages, arts and health and PE.

“I want to meet every student, every staff member, every stakeholder, community member with positivity and good energy so that they know that they are important and they are a valued member of the community,” Wallace-McGrew said in the announcement.

What it means for you

  • Dillard Drive gets $1,000 for the school from Strawbridge Studios as part of the award, the district said. Sykes and Wallace-McGrew also received gifts from district sponsors, listed in full in the announcement.
  • The award recognizes a turnaround. A school that was rated low-performing now has every student group meeting growth expectations, by the district’s account.
  • For families weighing magnet options, Dillard Drive is a Pre-K-5 Spanish Immersion magnet in the Wake County Public School System. Details are on the district’s website.

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