During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the United States were closed for a significant period of time. During this closure, schools moved to a remote format and teachers tried to educate students to the best of their abilities. School principals had to be the glue that held the school together. This study was designed to examine principal leadership activities before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to North Carolina's eight standards for school executives. The focus was on leadership activities related to the eight standards before the COVID-19 pandemic and how principals' perceptions of the leadership standards changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Literature was reviewed regarding the eight principal leadership standards as well as principal activities during other times of crisis in schools such as natural disasters and school shootings. This was a small, qualitative case study involving interviews with five principals from Title I elementary schools in Western North Carolina. Results showed the principals' use of leadership activities related to the eight standards changed drastically whereas perceptions as to what makes a successful school leader did not change. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]