LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Meredith Williams was nominated by an anonymous colleague.

Mrs. Williams is a LifeChanger for the North Rowan High School Community.  She has made an impact in the lives of students by encouraging them to find and create their "True North" destination. Mrs. Williams champions individual pathways at the high school level to challenge students to take charge and be invested in their future.

When the school was threatened by closure from the district because of low student numbers, Mrs. Williams rebranded the culture and atmosphere. The community rallied around the school to demonstrate its importance as a keystone piece of the Spencer community.  North Rowan High School was rebranded as the Center for Entrepreneurship & Design. The school offers challenge-based learning and design classes. Through the design classes, students have gained important life skills such as empathy and the opportunity to work on communication and collaboration skills.

North Rowan High School gained recognition as an Apple Distinguished School from 2019 to 2022. Mrs. Williams has demonstrated leadership at the district level by obtaining the position of community prinicpal for the North Rowan Schools (North Rowan Elementary School, Hanford Dole Elementary School, North Rowan Middle School, and North Rowan High School).  She encourages growth in her staff. Many staff members have moved on to procure other leadership positions. Mrs. Williams is willing to "walk the walk" with her staff. She has helped teachers create lesson plans, and she has demonstrated lessons and classroom activities for teachers. Whenever the school is short on substitutes, she has jumped into the classroom so students would not be without a teacher.

"Mrs. Williams is committed to a nurturing atmosphere with high moral and ethical standards. She promotes respect, empathy, collaboration, and effective listening as the cornerstone foundation of North Rowan High School," said her colleague.