Douglas County school chief named finalist for national title

Douglas County School System school chief Trent North, shown here with Chisa Ihekwereme, the 2020 winner of the Douglas County Spelling Bee, has been named a finalist for national superintendent of the year. (Courtesy photo)

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Douglas County School System school chief Trent North, shown here with Chisa Ihekwereme, the 2020 winner of the Douglas County Spelling Bee, has been named a finalist for national superintendent of the year. (Courtesy photo)

Trent North, school chief of the Douglas County School System, is among four finalists for the 2023 National Superintendent of the Year.

The national title will be awarded in February by the AASA, the School Superintendents Association, during its National Conference on Education in San Antonio. The AASA gives the award to a superintendent it feels makes a positive difference in the lives of the students, in addition to ensuring the safety and wellness of the school community.

Earlier this month, North was named Georgia’s 2023 Superintendent of the Year at the Georgia School Boards Association/Georgia School Superintendents Association’s Conference in Atlanta. In a statement, Douglas school board Chair Tracy Rookard said, “He inspires achievement because he sees the potential for excellence in every student. Through Superintendent North’s diligent efforts, the educational outcomes and experiences for our students have greatly increased.”

A lifelong Georgian, North became superintendent of the Douglas County School System in 2017. North worked for the Carrollton City Schools for 26 years. He was principal of Carrollton Middle School, founding principal of the New Horizons Alternative School, assistant principal of Carrollton Elementary and a history and government teacher at Carrollton Junior High.

North was a commissioner for Carroll County for 25 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of West Georgia and earned a specialist’s degree in leadership and curriculum from Lincoln Memorial University.

The other three finalists are PJ Caposey, Meridian Community Unit School District #223, Stillman Valley, Illinois; Matthew Hillmann, Northfield Public Schools, ISD 659, Northfield, Minnesota; and Kevin McGowan, Brighton Central Schools, Rochester, New York.