Principal Nikkia Rowe was appointed to lead the school in July 2013. Principal Rowe made national headlines in 2015 for her response to the 2015 Baltimore protests which followed the Death of Freddie Gray. Gray was arrested only 1.3 miles away from Renaissance. Rowe instituted new curricula in law and homeland security in the hopes of building a more civic-minded student population. In spring of 2015, Rowe also instituted a mentorship program, Seeds of Promise, which brought young adult men from the community into the school to attempt to connect with disengaged students.