CMS principal gets top honor among school districts in 9-county region
Larenda Denien sees her job as an educator as a privilege and honor.
In October when she was named the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ 2021-22 Principal of the Year, she told the Observer: “When you are able to see learning happening, there’s no better feeling than that. Take it all in, but know that things are always evolving and changing.”
Denien, the principal at Idlewild Elementary School since 2014, earned another honor: Southwest Region Principal of the Year.
The district made the surprise announcement Thursday at the school. She is the winner for the Department of Public Instruction Southwest Region of North Carolina, which encompasses Mecklenburg, Rowan, Iredell, Stanley, Anson, Union, Lincoln, Gaston and Cleveland counties.
She will go on to compete for the state title.
Denien began her CMS career more than 18 years ago when she was attending Fairmont State University in West Virginia and visited a CMS hiring fair. She was encouraged to apply as a teacher.
Her journey through the district saw her in teaching roles and then as a math facilitator and dean of students. She also was an assistant principal in 2011.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 3:26 PM.
