Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 8, 1993 TAG: 9309080185
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
New principals walked the halls and greeted students at three of Montgomery County's 19 schools on the first day of classes Tuesday.
At Blacksburg High School, Alfred Smith will head the school where he has worked for 20 years, first as a teacher in vocational education and later with administrative and disciplinary duties as assistant principal.
At Gilbert Linkous Elementary School in Blacksburg, Robert Duckworth will share the principal's responsibilities this year with Ray Van Dyke, who has been named principal of the new Blacksburg elementary school due to open next fall.
And Janice Roback is returning to Montgomery County after a year as an elementary school principal in Charlottesville to assume that position at Christiansburg Elementary School.
Superintendent Herman Bartlett described the principal's role as "the school equivalent of a company's chief executive officer," setting a shared vision and leading each school toward those goals.
Smith, who grew up in the school system where he is now a principal, said students are always at the center of his efforts.
The president of the school's Parent-Teacher-Student Association, Sandra Varner, said "Alfred Smith's heart and soul are in that school. . . . He's maintained the pace that's held things together. He's fair and always has the best interest of the kids in mind."
Smith said his greatest accomplishment has been his influence in creating a comprehensive high school in Blacksburg - one where any student can sign up for any course - academic or vocational - and feel comfortable.
He hopes to expand the school's partnership with local businesses, he said. "We also need continued community and parental involvement in the schools."
In Blacksburg, where parents tend to be well-educated and involved, parent involvement may be one of Smith's greatest challenges.
Social studies teacher Karen Coston said Smith would need to strike "a delicate balance between the wants of separate groups of parents, students and teachers. Administrators are in the middle, and all of these groups are very active and very vocal at BHS. And often, they each have very different goals."
English teacher Rob Lockhart said Smith has experience in his favor. "I feel confident that he will not bend to pressure when the results may not be best for the students. He'll play his new role well, especially when he needs to stand firm."
Smith said he thinks the extraordinary parental participation at the high school is one of the factors that makes the school unique.
"Success in education is directly linked to interested parents, even though sometimes parental involvement can have negative effects," he said.
Smith's approach to the existence of groups with diverse interests is to expand the role of site-based committees at the school. These committees comprise parents, teachers and students, who make decisions on school issues at each school rather than having all decisions made at a central administrative office.
"So far, the committee has not made too many decisions. I intend to change that gradually and to include community leaders who may be business people, university associates or government workers. They may or may not even have kids in school," he said.
"And the end results won't always please everyone," said Smith, but he thinks people would better understand the details and complexities involved in how the decision was made.
What other changes does Smith, 46, envision now that he's in charge?
One of his first priorities is to provide respectable restrooms and concession facilities at the athletic field at the middle school.
"That may sound odd," he explained, "but we host an excellent class of soccer and football teams over there, and things are quite inadequate now."
Another change Smith is considering is the way course material is presented. For example, should students go to English five days a week for 45 minutes or perhaps three days a week for 1 1/2 hours? "It's worth looking at our presentation style for improvement," he said.
One particular word keeps coming up when people talk about Alfred Smith. The word is "fair." He's perceived as a man who is fair to everyone.
One phrase is also used to describe his style: "nuts and bolts." He knows all the nuts and bolts of the local school. He graduated from Blacksburg High in 1965 - although the school then was in the building on Main Street that now houses the middle school.
The concept of fairness is very important to Smith as evidenced by one of Bartlett's comments when Smith was chosen for the principal position. Bartlett said that Smith used the word "fair" eleven times during his interview.
Julio Opazo, Spanish teacher for nine years, said Smith has helped him more than once with solutions to classroom problems.
Lockhart, the English teacher, described Smith as a teacher-sensitive administrator, one whom instructors can go to with concerns and questions.
When asked if high school students have changed much over two decades, Smith said he didn't think so.
Trends come and go, like baseball caps and hackey-sacks, he said. But when he sits and talks to students, they share the same adolescent concerns about growing up that teen-agers always have. And they still all need a strong family support. When a student at the school appears to lack a good family foundation, everyone tries to provide extra guidance and encouragement.
Smith holds a master's degree in administration and a bachelor's degree in education from Virginia Tech. "Blacksburg is my community and an integral part of my life," said Smith. "I will do my best to create an optimal atmosphere for education growth at Blacksburg High School."
by CNB