MORGANTON, N.C. (WHKY) — Freedom High School’s principal has been chosen as Burke County Public Schools’ 2026-2027 Principal of the Year.  Shanda Epley, a 1992 Freedom graduate who has spent 30 years working in the district, was selected by her fellow principals.

Epley will represent Burke County at the regional level of North Carolina’s Principal of the Year program.

Her career began in 1996 as an Exceptional Children’s teacher assistant at Oak Hill and Valdese elementary schools.  She also helped establish the first self-contained Exceptional Children’s classroom at Drexel Elementary before becoming a first- and third-grade teacher at Chesterfield Elementary.

Epley moved into administration in 2005 as an assistant principal at Table Rock Middle School and later spent three years in that role at Walter Johnson Middle School.  She became principal of Chesterfield Elementary in 2012, serving there for five years before leading North Liberty School and Oak Hill Elementary.  In 2022, she returned to Freedom as principal.

“I feel truly honored to be recognized by my colleagues,” Epley said in the district’s announcement.  She credited the educators around her and said the recognition reflects their work serving students and the community.

Superintendent Mike Swan praised Epley’s ability to build lasting relationships with students, staff and families, saying her leadership helps people feel valued and supported.

For Epley, leading Freedom also means seeing some of her former elementary students reach graduation.  Many members of this year’s graduating class were once her students at Chesterfield and Oak Hill.

She said her goals include increasing Freedom’s graduation rate and helping students understand the opportunities available after high school.

A first-generation college student, Epley earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Lenoir-Rhyne College and her master’s degree in school administration from Gardner-Webb University.  She also completed the Distinguished Leadership in Practice program in 2015.