North Forsyth High School is lucky to have gained several new staff members this school year, including Lori Waddell, who is our new assistant administrator.  This is Waddell’s first year working at NFHS, but she has been working in the field of education for fifteen years.  Before becoming an assistant administrator at North, Waddell taught English and social studies—including AP, honors and college prep classes—and served as the Student Government Advisor at several schools.  She taught for nine years at West Forsyth, and has also worked at South Forsyth High School, Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte, N.C., and Sol C. Johnson High School in Savannah, Ga.  She herself graduated from Forsyth Central High School in 1999.

Waddell first became interested in being an administrator through her work with Student Government.  She notes that being involved with Student Government “really sparked [her] interest in building leaders; [she] enjoyed the process of solving problems and engaging in creating a positive school environment.”  As an assistant administrator at North, Waddell is in charge of public relations (PR) and communication, messaging, social media and student support.  She assists with Raider U, EOC testing and tutoring—both peer and after-school.  Waddell also disciplines students from grades 9 or 10 and does anything else Mr. Cheney requests.  When asked what the most interesting part of her job as assistant admin of NFHS was, Waddell replied, “There are no two days that are the same—I never know what to expect.”  Certainly, she contributes much to our school.

Outside of work, Waddell enjoys reading and writing (she is a published author!), but she rarely has time for either activity.  She has two daughters, Caroline and Lulu, who are eight and four years old, respectively.  On weekends and after school, she loves spending time with her family.

In Waddell’s own words, “I have a passion for people and think that every day is a day to be better—my personal motto is to ‘Be known well.’”  She believes that our world is filled with people who strive to be famous, cheered on and adored—well known, as it were—even when, ironically, it is often far more fulfilling not to be well known by everyone on the planet, but to be known well by the people in our lives—to “pour ourselves into people and do things for others.”  She has been living out this motto well by helping students succeed in the chaotic mess that is high school, and North is proud to have added her on as part of its staff.