WINDSOR – William Peele III began his career in education in the classroom. Sometimes he wishes he hadn’t left.

But while moving into administration eight years ago was a new frontier, Peele has admirably fulfilled the challenge, and now the Bertie Middle School principal has been named as the 2016 Wells Fargo Northeast Regional Principal of the Year.

Peele will now compete among eight other regional winners for the state title.

Even though the award was announced in December, Bertie County school officials kept it under wraps until Thursday when they surprised Peele in the BMS Media Center where family, friends, colleagues and staff had gathered for the official announcement of the honor.

The surprise caught the 16-year veteran educator so off-guard that he was speechless at the small reception.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the kids we serve,” Peele said, feeling a bit more relaxed after the announcement. “It’s so great to see the fruits of your labors, to know that you have planted good seeds.”

Peele’s own seeds were planted within a family of educators. His mother, Gwendolyn, taught special needs children in Bertie County for many years and his late father, William Peele Jr., was an assistant principal, a principal and an assistant superintendent within the county school system and served as the director of the Shaw University CAPE Center in Ahoskie upon his retirement from the public schools.

The senior Peele passed away in 2010.

“His father set a good example, with his own more than 30 years in education” said Bertie County Schools Superintendent Elaine White. “I know he’s looking down now from heaven and beaming with pride because this is a very proud moment for him.”

Among the surprise guests were Peele’s cousin, Dr. Ve-Lecia Council, the Assistant Superintendent of Pitt County Schools, along with Sonya Rinehart, Northeast Regional Education Facilitator with the NC Department of Public Instruction – who helped put the surprise announcement together. Also there was Steve Lassiter, the 2015 Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year.

“There are so many pieces to being a quality principal, and mainly it’s about ‘small wins’,” said Lassiter. “You must have a good impact with classroom management; not just with students, but also with your staff. You are an educator, a motivator, and a supporter. You have to celebrate teachers, acknowledge their accomplishments and let them know they are held in high regard.

“You insure the highest outcome when you put the children first. Mr. Peele has had successful models to follow in his career and it has served him well,” Lassiter affirmed. “He came into this knowing what it takes to be a good school leader.”

The education-administration tie also extends closer to home for Peele. His wife, Keisha Peele, is principal of C.S. Brown School in the Hertford County school system.

“You have to come in knowing what it takes to be a good school leader,” Mrs. Peele said. “It goes beyond loving the job and loving the students because principals are no longer ‘managers’. We are instructional leaders.”

“Nowadays we have to prepare students to be college and career ready,” she continued. “School is now a hybrid, a mix of online and brick-and-mortar. We’re preparing students for the world to come, but we’re also preparing them for things that none of us are certain of.”

Clutching his small son, Whitman, Peele paid homage to the education legacy in his life.

“I grew up around education,” said the 1996 Bertie High School grad, who later attended Elizabeth City State University and East Carolina. “I had a lot of positive role models in elementary, middle and high school.”

Peele described his philosophy as a teacher and a principal as knowing that education is the great equalizer in life.

“I believe that having a quality education provides you with opportunities and options in life,” he reiterates.

Peele said that his strong work ethic was most likely one of the attributes that helped him be named POY.

“I want to see students grow and succeed,” he acknowledged. “I am also always trying to reflect on processes and the things I am doing in my school.”

Regional Principals of the Year receive a cash award for his or her personal use and a cash award for their respective schools. From the eight regional finalists, each finalists will be interviewed later this winter and have his or her portfolio reviewed by the state selection committee.

The Wells Fargo state Principal of the Year will be announced at the spring state luncheon in Raleigh.

The Wells Fargo Principal of the Year Award was introduced in 1984 to recognize outstanding leadership in North Carolina’s schools and the role of the principal in establishing an environment conducive to the pursuit and achievement of academic excellence. Wells Fargo sponsors the award in conjunction with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the Chapel Hill-based Center for School Leadership Development.