New school leaders to begin positions in Winston-Salem school district

Chris Nichols will need business card printing services as he starts a new position as the principal at Atkins High School, which is part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School (WS/FCS) District next month. He will be replacing Joe Childers, who passed away suddenly at the end of last year.

Nichols began his career in education as a math teacher. He was then assistant principal at Paisley IB Magnet School and Parkland High School for 10 years and has been principal at the WS/FCS Career Center since 2014.

He attended Appalachian State University (ASU) for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and earned his doctorate in educational administration from University of North Carolina Greensboro. The start date for his new position is March 1.

Angela Hairston, Superintendent of the WS/FCS District, also named Jesse Pratt as an instructional superintendent for the district, replacing the retired Trish Ganey.

Pratt’s early career was as in Guilford County serving at Dudley High School, Allen Middle School, and Middle College at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Since 2018, he has been the assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and student services for the Thomasville City Schools.

He also earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at ASU and his doctorate in education from High Point University. It has not been determined as to when he will start.