Fifteen civic and community leaders from across Orangeburg County went back to school on March 19, 2015 to participate in the “Principal for a Day®” program in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (OCSD5). This was the fifth year for the program which is designed to give community leaders a unique opportunity to directly experience the role that Principals play in leading a school and educating our children.
The 2015 class of “Principal for a Day®” participants and the schools where they served were: Patsy Rhett, Town Council Member with the Town of Bowman (Bethune-Bowman Elementary School); Keisa Gunby, Media Director with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office (Bethune-Bowman Middle/High School); Julius Jones, Town Council Member with the Town of North (Dover Elementary School); Mark Fallaw, Chief of Police with the Town of North (North Middle/High School); Jennifer Hoesing, Executive Director of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association (Brookdale Elementary School); Angel Howell, Executive Assistant to the County Administrator (Marshall Elementary School); Kimberlei Davis, Features Writer with the Times and Democrat Newspaper (Mellichamp Elementary School); Lacra Jenkins, Captain with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office (Rivelon Elementary School); Von Gaskin, Meteorologist with WIS TV (Sheridan Elementary School); Chandra McPherson, Director of Victims Services with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office (Whittaker Elementary School); Dr. Louis Whitesides, Research Administrator with the 1890 Program at South Carolina State University (William J. Clark Middle School); Reverend Earl Humes, Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Robert E. Howard Middle School); Darrell Booker, Economic Development Project Manager with the Orangeburg County Development Commission (Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School); Howard Harris, Vice President of Human Resources at the Regional Medical Center (The Technology Center); and Patricia Salley, HSHP Board Member (High School for Health Professions).
The “Principals for a Day” reported to their schools at 7:30 a.m. where they met with the school’s regular Principal and participated in the daily activities of the school as they occurred that day. The “Principals for a Day” carried out a wide variety of duties that included such things as making the morning announcements, doing classroom observations, meeting with teachers and parents, reading to children, supporting teachers in the classroom, assisting students with assignments, and helping out with bus duty. Through the shadowing experience, the “Principals for a Day” also learned about educational leadership styles, current issues in education, facilities management, and developing and maintaining effective relationships with students and staff. The “Principals for a Day” convened as a group later that afternoon to share their observations with Superintendent Dr. Cynthia Wilson, OCSD5 School Board members and other district staff and administrators.
Chandra McPherson began her day at Whittaker Elementary school by greeting students and parents as they arrived at school. Among the highlights of her day were observing the technology that was in place at the school and the way teachers, administrators, parents, and volunteers all work together to create an environment for learning. She added, “The hugs that I got from the kids that morning set the tone for a great day.”
Von Gaskin served as the “Principal for a Day®” at Sheridan Elementary School. “I’m a public person, but I’m also a Mom,” said Gaskin in describing her interest in the program. Gaskin took particular note of the atmosphere and ambiance within the school and how it impacts the type of interaction that takes place within classrooms. She also noted how traditional teaching methods were being integrated with new technology to enhance the learning experiences of the children.
Patsy Rhett, the “Principal for a Day®” at Bethune-Bowman Elementary School, was impressed with what she observed while shadowing Principal Lakekia Lewis. “To see our children in this learning atmosphere gave me a larger perception about learning. I commend the district for placing Ms. Lewis at Bethune-Bowman Elementary because I know and can see that she has a genuine love for those children, most of whom she knows by name and family history.” Rhett continued, “The technology was second to none. I loved every moment of my stay. Hopefully this will not be my last time.”
Captain Lacra Jenkins spent his day at Rivelon Elementary School where he was greeted with a clipboard and an itinerary from Principal Rena Bowman. “Mrs. Bowman has a plan to have her students meet and surpass the state requirements at Rivelon,” said Jenkins. “She has brought that old school style of teaching and blended it with modern technology and lesson plans. She really cares about her kids”.
Brookdale Elementary School was the host school for Jennifer Hoesing. “Participating in ‘Principal for a Day®’ highlighted the way modern public education is adapting to life in the 21st century”, said Hoesing. She continued, “The use of iPads, learning centers in the elementary classroom, and gifted and talented programs for kindergartners through second graders are just a few of the ways Dr. Stokes helped me get a handle on the education of today.” Hoesing also noted that her pedometer counted 3,116 steps before lunch time!
Keisa Gunby served as the “Principal for a Day®” at Bethune-Bowman Middle/High School and observed, “The administrators and educators in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five are doing a phenomenal job to integrate technology and standards into classroom instruction as they cater to the individual needs of each individual student. As parents and stakeholders of the public school system, we must lend our support to make education a priority so that all students are prepared to pursue their personal dreams and career goals.”
Darrell Booker, an Economic Development Project Manager with the Orangeburg County Development Commission, spent his day with David Norman, the Principal at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. Booker shared his thoughts on the experience stating, “Through building meaningful relationships with his students, David Norman has created an environment and culture at O-W where he pushes students to strive to meet the high expectations that he knows they can achieve.” He added, “I wish more people could experience being “Principal for a Day®” to see all the hard work and dedication that principals like David Norman put into the job day after day to create schools that have more positive attributes than negative ones.” Booker also noted how impressed he was by Principal Norman’s ability to know the names of every student they came in contact with during the course of the day. (Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School has more than 1,300 students.)
Mellichamp Elementary School and Principal Hayward Jean welcomed Kimberlei Davis whose experience as the “Principal for a Day®” included an opportunity to get in front of the students and assist with teaching. “It was the best day I’ve had in a long time,” said Davis. She added, “It made me miss teaching and my fourth grade teacher. Our kids deserve our 100% effort and support.”
As a former student on the campus, Dr. Louis Whitesides requested Clark Middle School as the site of his “Principal for a Day®” assignment. When Dr. Whitesides arrived for duty, he saw his name on the marquee in front of the school welcoming him back to school. He then started his day by making the morning announcements before spending time observing various classroom instructional methods and a self-contained class. Dr. Whitesides concluded, “For such a large campus, the activity is very organized. I was very impressed by the job being done by Dr. Williams and the teachers and staff.”
Angel Howell spent her day at Marshall Elementary School shadowing Principal Dyisha Taylor. Howell was most impressed by the level of passion and commitment that the teachers and staff have for educating and taking care of the needs of their students.
Public schools are familiar territory for Reverend Earl Humes who, in addition to his job responsibilities with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, has the perspective of his wife Evelyn having been a teacher for twenty-one years. After his experience at Howard Middle School, Reverend Humes said, “It takes a world class team of dedicated professionals to build a world class school system and your management team is doing a great job of hiring the best.”
Howard Harris, the Vice President of Human Resources at the Regional Medical Center, served as the “Principal for a Day®” at The Technology Center on Magnolia Boulevard. “Upon entering the school, I was immediately impressed by the display of positive words and images as well as the energetic attitudes of the staff. I also noted these traits being mirrored in the behavior of the students.” Harris continued, “Dr. Pilot has created a culture of holistic, not just academic, development and achievement for his students. The students are being prepared for the real world that includes the effective communication skills and interpersonal skills that they will need to be successful following graduation.”
Police Chief Mark Fallaw was the “Principal for a Day®” at North Middle/High School where he shadowed Principal Charles Gregory. “This program provided such an enlightening and rewarding experience,” said Chief Fallaw. He continued, “I was amazed at the level of ‘change’ required to be an administrator, teacher and leader in today’s school environment. I am pleased to know that District 5 has quality leadership in place to adapt and meet the challenges of our education system.” Chief Fallaw also noted the complexities of successfully managing a facility that houses middle and high school grades within a single campus.
OCSD5 Superintendent Dr. Cynthia Wilson concluded the “Principal for a Day®” program by thanking the participants for their commitment to supporting public education. She reminded them about the evolving mission of public education as our graduates must now be prepared to compete in a global marketplace where the three “Rs” are represented by “Relevance, Rigor, and Relationships”.
The “Principal for a Day®” program is one of the ways that Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five reaches out to the community to build relationships and facilitate communication about educational issues. More than seventy-five community leaders have participated in the “Principal for a Day®” program since its inception. For additional information about the “Principal for a Day®” program, please contact Bill Clark, Public Relations Director, by phone at (803) 533-7925 or e-mail at bill.clark@ocsd5.net.
