The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education has approved Dr. Keisha Gabriel as the new principal of Atkins High School. Gabriel will replace Dr. Chris Nichols who is retiring at the end of February.
Dr. Gabriel brings almost 25 years of experience in education, including nine years of distinguished leadership as a principal. She began her career as a teacher in Guilford County Schools. She joined WS/FCS in 2008 as an instructional coach. She was a principal intern at Parkland High School from 2011 to 2012. She joined Philo-Hill as assistant principal from 2012 to 2015. In 2015, she became assistant principal at East Forsyth High School. She was principal at Kennedy High School from 2016 to 2020.
Since 2020, Gabriel has served as principal of Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy. Under her guidance, the school met EVAAS (Education Visualization and Analytics Solution) academic growth in 2022 and during 2023-2024 every tested area met growth expectations. The student attendance rate improved to 90% and the graduation rate has risen to 88% surpassing the statewide average in 2024.
Dr. Gabriel holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Gardner-Webb University and certifications in school administration and instructional leadership. She has been recognized for her excellence in education, including a nomination for WS/FCS Principal of the Year in 2024-2025.
A start date for Dr. Gabriel has not been determined. The district will begin its search for Winston-Salem Prep's new principal which will impact Dr. Gabriel's official start date at Atkins.
Retired principal Charles McAninch will serve as an interim at Atkins starting March 1.