News & Events

Norfolk Academy mourns the passing of Michael Joseph Pratt, 81, who served at the school for more than a decade as a teacher, coach, and administrator.

Pratt graduated from Suffolk High School in 1962, then North Carolina Wesleyan College - where he played basketball - and Old Dominion University. His career as an educator and coach spanned five decades, beginning at Suffolk High. He came to Norfolk Academy in the late 1960s, teaching in the history department and coaching sports including football and basketball. He later served as Middle School Director and headed the school's 250th anniversary celebration in 1978. After leaving NA in the early 1980s, he went on to serve as head of several private schools, including Fayetteville Academy (NC), Jackson Prep (MS), Hilton Head Prep (SC), Low Country Day School (Pawley’s Island, SC), Rocky Mount Prep (NC), and AGBU Manoukian High School (Pasadena, CA). He also served as Vice President of Advancement at North Carolina Wesleyan.

He received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2012, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor for his contributions to secondary education.

Pratt was a lifelong learner. He was a voracious reader of nonfiction, history, and current events, always trying to make sense of the world. He was immensely proud of his personal library, which represented his ongoing commitment to grow, understand, and discover personal insights.

He is preceded in death by his wife Barbara, who he married in 1978, his mother Angelina, his father Harrell, and a pantheon of beloved dogs.