Well, just how sports are a part of our community, so is education.

Guiding Stars is our newest "Carolina Impact" recurring segment.

We're excited to shine a light on educators throughout our region who are making an amazing impact.

Today, Education and Outreach Coordinator Sarah Woldum and Producer John Branscum introduce us to a principal determined to ace their state report card.

(air whooshes) - Hi, I'm Sarah with PBS Charlotte.

Welcome to Guiding Stars.

Today, we're shining a light on Principal Kira Michaw here at Winget Park Elementary School.

Principal Michaw is shaping students and staff alike with the culture of positivity and family-like community.

Here, she's transforming eager young pups into empowered, confident wolves.

(uplifting music) Hey, thank you for having us at your beautiful school.

- Absolutely.

- I love it.

As soon as I walked in, I was like, this is the most inviting, exciting place, I would've loved to be a student here.

- It is a very bright and wonderful place to be.

And one of the things that makes us so unique is the hand prints that are on our hallway.

Every day in every classroom, we do what's called Wolf of the Day.

When you get 10 in one year, you get your hand print in the wall.

(air whooshes) - You're not from Charlotte, you're not from North Carolina.

So tell me a little bit about how you got here and how you ended up as a principal.

- Yes.

- 'Cause I also know that you've always loved teaching, and so this role is a little different.

- Yes, so I am from a very small town between Buffalo and Rochester called Corfu, New York.

I went to Buff State University (bell dings) in Buffalo, and when I graduated, there were absolutely no jobs up north.

And so I went to a career fair and got hired by Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.

No idea what school I was gonna be at and did not know anybody in Charlotte, but my dog and I made our way down together.

Remember, we talked about verbal and nonverbal.

- After realizing her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, Michaw recognized moving into leadership could help her make a bigger impact on the lives of students.

So she took the leap into several different roles, including assistant principal.

(light upbeat music) What's the biggest difference between going from an assistant principal to the main principal?

- The biggest change is making sure that you have your hand on the pulse of the school, because ultimately I believe that the school culture really centers around the leadership at that building.

When you're in the role of the AP, you don't have as much ability to create the change because you're really following your leader.

But when you're in the role of a principal, you really have the ability to make change, not just in the lives of the children, which of course is the most important, but also in the lives of the adults around you.

I didn't always wanna be a principal.

I think teaching and being a teacher is the most important profession.

It is the most important person in a school.

They make the most change.

And so it's probably one of the greatest honors that I've been given to have the chance to lead teachers.

And I take that role really to heart.

- [Erika] She's just absolutely one of the best principals I've ever had.

I've been at Winget Park now going on 20 years.

- [Sarah] Special Education Teacher Erika Eiger nominated Principal Michaw for Guiding Stars.

- She keeps things positive, upbeat, she's supportive of the students, she's supportive of the teachers.

She gets her hands dirty and works one-on-one with kids too.

- [Kira] Number on page 150.

- [Sarah] One way Principal Michaw engages students is through her weekly reading group.

- Why is that moment important in our story?

- [Sarah] The kids benefit from the extra learning and Principal Michaw gets to stay connected to her educational roots.

- Ultimately, at the root of who I am is I'm a teacher, at the root of who I am.

And I think no matter what my title is and where I am, I will always be a teacher at heart.

And so getting that opportunity, even though my role has changed, to still work with children in a very meaningful and academic way, definitely fill like a gap in myself.

Because if before I started pulling a group and working with kids regularly again, if I went home, my husband would know if I were, you know, I would go through like, there'd be like a couple days there where I maybe was being a little grumpy or something and he would say to me, "When was the last time you worked with kids?"

And so he kind of was the one that helped me to be like, I probably need to make it a thing, not just a happening, not just a chance.

- Right.

- A thing that is regularly in my schedule.

Right.

Because he would go, "When was the last time you were with kids?"

Oh, you're right.

And then once I would make it an effort to pull them and do something academic with them, I would feel that happiness returns.

- [Sarah] Not only does she work with students each week, but she also leads this group of teachers with a focus of continued student achievement.

- Just like we do for reading and math, focus on your squad.

- [Sarah] It's work that's paying off at Winget Park Elementary.

When Principal Michaw stepped into the role of Lead Wolf, the school's report card was a disappointing D.

(dramatic music) Given by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, these school report cards are determined by end-of-year testing and academic growth.

Principal Michaw knew the school had some challenges to overcome.

(light upbeat music) - Like all schools, COVID hit hard.

- Right.

- And so, coming back from COVID, we had made our way all the way to a D school.

- Okay.

- And so when I got here, we were fighting our way back from that D.

- [Sarah] And fight back they did.

(bell dings) The school received a b on their most recent report card from the state.

But she says there's still work to do.

- Ultimately, our goal will be to be an A school.

(air whooshes) - Why do you continue to do this?

'Cause I know it's hard.

- Yeah.

This is a really great question, and ultimately, why do I keep doing it?

Why do I keep showing up every single day?

It's for the kids.

There are some things that you're just made for, I was made for this.

This is what I'm supposed to do.

And no matter what, at the end of the day, in those moments when I'm like, "I'm out."

Like I can't, I'm overwhelmed or I'm tired, or it always comes back to, but you were made for this.

And so you have to do it.

You know, you have to wake up every day and you have to do it.

- I love that.

Right.

- Yeah.

- [Sarah] There's no other option.

- [Kira] There is no other option.

- [Sarah] For "Carolina Impact," I'm Sarah Woldum.