Celebrations have become plentiful at Tuckaseegee Elementary School, so much so that when LaTresha Wilson walked into a room of screaming students, staff and well-wishers on Dec. 16, she didn’t realize the party was for her. In her first principalship and third year at Tuckaseegee, she was surprised with the news that she was named the 2026 Southwest Region Principal of the Year by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

“It was just an amazing experience,” Wilson said. “It means a lot because this is my third year, and when I just think of how much Tuckasegee Elementary has accomplished in the past two years, it just makes my heart happy. We are changing lives, we’re just changing trajectories, and we’re doing it fast.” 

As Southwest Principal of the Year, Wilson is one of nine regional winners who will vie for the Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year title. She was named the 2026 Principal of the Year for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Oct. 3 for the transformation Tuckaseegee has made under her leadership. When she first arrived at the school, it was on the low-performing list, but by year’s end, its school performance grade had moved from a D to a C. In 2024-25, Tuckaseegee moved from a C to a B. In both of those years, the school exceeded growth standards for the state of North Carolina. 

“Principal Wilson is just an amazing principal,” said CMS Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill. “She is all in for every single student, she believes that every single student is beautifully brilliant, and she says that to every single student every single day. She has instilled the belief that every single student is deserving of an amazing life. That first starts with a strong education, and she has ensured that that happens here at Tuckasegee Elementary.”

Wilson comes from a family of educators and grew up in the Tuckaseegee neighborhood. Her family is embedded in the community, and the school benefits from having strong community support and long-time staff members, some of whom attended Tuckaseegee and are now back as teachers. Wilson said their success in coming off the low-performing list has created a sense of pride.

“I’ve always said that Tuckaseegee is a wonderful neighborhood school,” Wilson said. “I know that when students are in the community, they don’t have a choice of their neighborhood school. I want to make sure that their neighborhood school is one that they want to go to, not one that they just have to be at. I believe that the energy of us growing, it is just making our school an even better community school.

“Our families, the community, the teachers – there’s just a buzz that goes around Tuckaseegee that when people come in, they say, ‘I just feel a buzz, I can’t describe it.’ It’s because we’re doing great things for kids, and we all just believe in that one common goal.”