Learn More About UNCG’s Principal Preparation Programs

Jason Johnson began his career in education as a business ed teacher in Chatham County in 1997. Now, as the principal of Orange High School in Orange County, Johnson is the 2025 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. 

Since 2000, Johnson is the third person to be named North Carolina Principal of the Year to have earned a degree from UNC Greensboro. He joins 2012 recipient Patrice Faison who earned both Educational Specialist (2012) and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership (2014) degrees and 2020 honoree Kisha Clemons who earned Educational Specialist (2020 and 2023) degrees. 

Johnson, who earned both his Master’s in School Administration (2002) and his Education Specialist (2011) degrees from UNCG, is in his second tenure as Orange High’s principal. Following his time in the classroom, Johnson earned his first assistant principalship at A.L. Stanback Middle School before opening Gravel Hill Middle School. After a short stint with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Johnson landed what he called his “dream job” as the principal at Orange High. He spent four years leading that school before serving five years in the central office. Johnson then returned to Orange High where he has been for the past four years.  

A Path to Education

Principals can serve many roles – leader, mentor, and disciplinarian among them, but Johnson views his role as a facilitator. He said, “The principal has to get everyone on the bus, get them going in the same direction, but empowering those same people to do the work. It’s important to empower those people and then get out of the way. I have to trust the people that I work with, meaning parents, students, and staff.” 

People often think of principals as being disciplinarians first and joke that if their student is not known by the principal, then their child is doing well in school. Johnson does not want that to be the case in schools he leads, saying, “They’re human beings. I need to know their names. I need to know who they are. I need to know about them so that I can help them achieve as well.” 

He does that by spending time speaking with students in the hallway and talking to staff members about students. Johnson said, “Just do it one student at a time. I’m a big believer in grassroots efforts to meet kids.” 

While getting to know his students is extremely important to Johnson, he likens his role to that of a football coach. He said, “You have all of these different assistants. You have all these things working and you don’t have your hands in everything, but you know enough to guide people in different directions. I love being a facilitator. I enjoy trying to bring everybody together, trying to collaborate with my teacher leaders. I also like collaborating with parents and students.” 

Looking back at his path to education, Johnson said he did not intend to enter the field and that his mother did not want him to become a teacher. But as an undergraduate at North Carolina A&T State University, he took an education course and performed a practicum at an elementary school.  

Johnson said, “It was a fifth-grade class and I’d go out for recess and play with the kids, throw the football around, and they’d jump all over me. Over time, I realized that these kids didn’t necessarily look at me as an educator. I was a hero. They would want to know when I was showing up. I felt needed and that was my springboard into education.” 

Over the course of his career, Johnson has worked with children at a variety of grade levels but feels like he belongs in a high school. He enjoys having serious conversations with his students about their future but also being able to joke with them as well. He believes that he is able to relate to high school students better than students at other points in their educational journey. 

Johnson Honored for His Work

After years of leading schools, Johnson said his 28-year career flashed before his eyes when he realized he was the recipient of the state’s top principal honor. 

Johnson said, “It means a lot to me and this community because it validates the work we’ve been doing over the last few years. It validates that Orange High School is a great place to be. It validates that I have great students and staff. Now we’re sharing it with the rest of the state.” 

As the state’s principal of the year, Johnson will be tasked with serving as an advisor to the State Board of Education and on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Public School Forum. He will also have numerous speaking engagements across the state in the coming year. Those obligations will have him out of the school at times, but he believes that the community and leadership that has been built within Orange High School will allow the school to continue to operate at a high level. 

UNCG’s Role in Johnson’s Development

When he first enrolled at UNCG, Johnson remembers a professor who had students write a one-page paper on their educational philosophy. As they approached the end of the program and prepared to graduate, they wrote another. The point of the exercise was to make the students realize that during your tenure as a school leader you would change. Johnson says that is one of the things during his time as a Spartan that helped shape his thought process. 

He said, “Your decision-making changes based off the students you’re serving, the parents you’re serving, the staff, and probably the politics that surround you. His whole point was, ‘Are you going to be able to stay grounded in your personal philosophy, your beliefs?’ I hope that I’ve been able to stay grounded, but I can tell you that I’ve definitely changed over the years as a school leader.” 

Johnson says it is easy to see how he has changed over the course of his career, stating, “Back then, I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to do it all. I truly believe (now) I can’t do it all by myself. The second thing is I’m much more vulnerable. When I can’t do something, I just say I can’t do it, and I lean on the strengths of my building. I didn’t know how to do that when I started.” 

While unfamiliar with UNCG before enrolling for his MSA, Johnson quickly came to love the program and the professors who led it. He said, “What I enjoyed about the professors the most was the fact that they brought a practical experience to the table for us as learners. They talked about real life items as superintendents, as directors, as assistant principals, and as principals.” 

He believes that the programs allow working adults to be successful in pursuing graduate degrees because of the support of those same professors. They showed flexibility and support. Johnson said, “They don’t want to see you fail unless you’re learning from your failure.” 

The Importance of Public Education

Passionate leaders like Johnson represent what is good about public education. He takes pride in seeing his students, faculty members, and fellow administrators succeed and grow. He values public education and does not take it for granted. 

Johnson said, “Public education is a great place to be. Public education is the foundation of this country. Even though public education, in the very beginning, wasn’t designed for people of color. But right now, public education is doing the impossible because we are educating all kids.” 

Photos Courtesy of Jason Johnson