Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 29, 1995 TAG: 9505300133
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Northside High School won't be the same without her.
Less than six months after the Roanoke County school was finished in 1961, Donna Henderson came there as a science teacher right out of Mary Washington College.
She never left.
She became a guidance counselor, cheerleader sponsor, junior and senior class sponsor and scorekeeper for the basketball team. Over the years, she filled a lot of smaller jobs, too.
Henderson became an assistant principal in 1971, a position she held until 1988, when she became principal.
Now, she's leaving.
After 34 years, she has decided to take early retirement at age 55 and "go home," as she puts it.
Many colleagues, students and friends never expected to see the day.
Henderson is such a Northside enthusiast that she is often teased that her blood runs green, one of the school's colors.
Henderson said she still loves her job and students as much as ever.
But early retirement will give her the opportunity to spend more time on other things: keeping the books for her husband's dairy farm, playing bridge, golfing and spending more time with her 15-year-old daughter.
Under the early retirement plan, she'll work 24 days a year for the school system for the next seven years. She hopes to spend part of that time at Northside, but that will depend on her assignments from school administrators.
"I'm not going to lose contact. I hope to be here some," Henderson said.
James Gallion, assistant school superintendent for the county, said most of Henderson's friends didn't think she was serious about early retirement.
"They thought she was just talking and that she would drop the idea when the time for a decision came," he said.
Gallion, a former principal and basketball coach at Northside, worked with Henderson for 26 years. He was basketball coach during the 1960s while she was cheerleader sponsor. She was an assistant principal from 1971 to 1988 while he was principal.
Gallion said Henderson is practically a walking encyclopedia of the students, teachers and events at Northside during the past three decades.
He said she has amazing recall of students, where they went to college, whom they married and the number of children they had. She remembers the parents and grandparents of many of today's students at Northside, he said.
Allen Journell, an assistant principal at Northside, said Henderson's knowledge of the community and school make her effective.
"Her knowledge of the community is astounding and that is why she has been so successful," said Journell, himself a Northside graduate.
Robert Brill, a veteran English teacher, said the faculty likes Henderson because she tries to solve problems.
"This lady is solution-oriented. This is what has made her an outstanding principal and caused the morale of the faculty to stay up," Brill said. "She is constantly searching for solutions."
Henderson can be a friend, counselor and comforter for students during moments of stress and sadness.
"After the last basketball game at the state tournament when I was crying, she came up and gave me a hug," said Katie Wooldridge, a senior.
"She has always been such a comfort. You don't see that side of her a lot, but it is there."
The students are impressed by Henderson's allegiance to the school and her appearance at almost every ball game, concert, banquet or other school activities.
"You see her almost everywhere. I don't see how she does it," said Lucretia Jarels, another senior.
Henderson said she has remained at Northside for her entire career because of the dedication, friendship, pride and work ethic at the school. The athletic teams, band and other student organizations have enjoyed success, and the academic achievement of the students has remained high, she said.
"There is a sense of pride here, and there is a lot of longevity on the staff," she said.
Brill said Henderson sets high standards for the faculty and insists that teachers always keep the students and parents uppermost in their minds.
"She feels that we are here to serve the students and parents," Brill said.
Henderson believes that principals and teachers have a tougher job today than 30 years ago when she began her career because they must work more with troubled children.
In the 1960s and '70s, students with academic and behavioral problems were routinely expelled, she said. "There were no second chances, but that has changed."
Now, educators try to keep troubled youngsters in school and work with them to overcome their problems, she said. That has put more stress on administrators and teachers, she said.
The toughest part of a principal's job is discipline cases and making the right decisions about them, she said.
The most rewarding part is seeing the children prosper - making good grades, being admitted to good colleges, getting good jobs and becoming successful, she said.
Despite critics who belittle the condition of public education, she believes schools are in better shape now than 20 years ago.
"I believe we are doing a good job of meeting the needs of all children," she said.
Schools have more teachers, guidance counselors, curriculum support staff and computers than they did two decades ago.
Northside has experienced some problems with alcohol and drugs, she said, but there have been fewer instances than at many other schools.
When Henderson is away from Northside, she lives on a dairy farm in Botetourt County with her husband, Jerry, and daughter, Ashley, a student at Lord Botetourt High School. The couple has a grown son, Jeffrey, who works on the farm.
Henderson keeps the financial books for the farm, but her husband and son oversee the milking operation.
When Henderson appeared before the School Board this week for Northside's band to be recognized again as a Virginia Honors Band, Vice Chairman Jerry Canada said her departure will be felt. It's more than just a principal retiring, he said.
"She has been there since the beginning of the school," Canada said. "She will be missed."
DONNA H. HENDERSON
Northside High School principal
Age: 55
Hometown: Roanoke
Education: Mary Washington College, bachelor's degree; Radford University, master's degree.
Professional: Northside High School, teacher, 1961-62; guidance counselor, 1962-71; assistant principal,1971-88; principal, 1988-present.
Community: Botetourt County Town and Country Woman's Club; Botetourt County Ladies Golf Association; St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Daleville; Botetourt County Republicans Campaign Committee.
Family: Married. Husband, Jerry; son, Jeffrey; and daughter, Ashley.
Quote: ``I had no idea of ever becoming a school principal when I started as a teacher, but the opportunity was there.''
Keywords:
PROFILE
by CNB