Northwood Elementary principal Erita Adams earns Baltimore’s 2025 Heart of the School Award recognition
Recognition for school leadership in Baltimore City
Baltimore City Public Schools principal Erita Adams of Northwood Elementary School has been named a 2025 Heart of the School Award recipient, an annual honor that highlights school leaders selected through a community nomination process.
The 2025 awards ceremony was held on May 29, 2025, and recognized five principals across the city. Each awardee received a $2,500 grant intended for school use.
How the Heart of the School Awards work
The Heart of the School Awards operate as a year-long program focused on Baltimore City principals, with nominations submitted by people connected to city schools, including parents, students, teachers, and staff. From those nominations, a group of five winners and five additional honorees is selected each year. Awardees receive a $2,500 school grant; honorees receive $1,000.
The structure is designed to elevate examples of school-based leadership and provide flexible funding that principals can apply to local needs, from student supports to programming and school climate efforts.
Northwood Elementary and Adams’ leadership profile
Adams has led Northwood Elementary since 2009 and has been publicly identified by the school system as the principal of the campus. In award materials describing the 2025 selection, Adams is credited with sustained leadership in the school community and with advocacy connected to modernization of the learning environment at Northwood.
She is also described as having developed a teacher training partnership with Morgan State University, aimed at strengthening classroom support while creating a pipeline of future educators familiar with the school community.
Other 2025 awardees and what their selections signal
Northwood Elementary is one of multiple school communities represented among the 2025 recipients. The other awardees were:
- Caitlyn Brooks, Moravia Park Elementary School
- Dr. James Gresham, REACH! Partnership School
- Nina Mouzone, Forest Park High School
- Steve Skeen, Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School
Collectively, the recipients span elementary, middle, high school, and charter settings, underscoring how the program draws from varied school models and neighborhood contexts within the city.
“The nominations he received really stressed just his genuine kindness, his care for students, his care for his community and staff and the tremendous success that they've had here at REACH! — both in the classroom and outside.”
What comes next
For Northwood Elementary, the award includes grant funding and a citywide spotlight that can support ongoing recruitment, partnerships, and school climate initiatives. For families and staff, the awards process continues annually through nominations, tying public recognition to on-the-ground experiences inside Baltimore schools.