DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711020120

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, STAFF WRITER  

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:  128 lines

FIGHT DOESN'T DETER WILSON'S PRINCIPAL GIBSON SAYS CRITICISM WON'T STOP HIM FROM HELPING HIS STUDENTS.

William Gibson's phone rang. And rang. His mother called and wanted to know if her son was caught in the fight. Colleagues consoled him and local pastors offered phone prayers.

He didn't sleep that night.

Gibson, only in his second year as principal of Woodrow Wilson High School, found solace in his many friends October 14, the day a brawl erupted and further tainted the school's troubled reputation.

Wilson, with about 1,500 students, is the largest of the three Portsmouth high schools.

District records show that 45 percent of Wilson students need remedial courses when in college, and it has a high truancy rate and a large concentration of students with behavioral problems.

During the incident, some students scuffled. Some teachers retreated behind doors. Some parents rushed to the scene.

Gibson's first thought: ``God, please don't let any kids be hurt.''

It's a day that remains etched in Gibson's mind like a horror movie.

At least a dozen Portsmouth parents have signed a petition calling for Gibson's and Superintendent Richard D. Trumble's removal. They plan to circulate the petition and get more signatures before presenting the document at the next school board meeting Nov. 13.

``No principal wants to go through anything like this,'' Gibson said.

``I didn't believe something like that could happen at Wilson High School. I was really sad.''

The melee on Elmhurst Street sent at least 22 students to the nurse and three pregnant teens to the hospital. So far, three teens have been charged with crimes.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound principal is now faced with the daunting task of restoring order.

That task will be tough.

The school and Gibson have been under fire since the fight; he's been lambasted by parents and teachers who cite crowding, unruly students and lax disciplinary action as leading reasons for the disturbance.

But to the critics who say Gibson's at fault, he says: ``Students are still supposed to be responsible for their own actions.''

However, he concedes: ``I accept indirect responsibility for what has happened. I am the leader of this school, and I will do whatever is necessary to keep that from happening again.''

Gibson, 52, said he's never seen anything comparable to the Wilson incident in his 23 years in the school system. He began his career as a music teacher and served as assistant principal at Churchland High School before coming to Wilson.

``He had a wonderful rapport with the kids,'' said Raymond Hale, Churchland's principal.

Gibson hopes that rapport will help him turn the tide at Wilson. He's already mapped out a plan: Teachers will be trained in conflict mediation; problem students will be shipped to alternative programs; crisis management programs will be in place, and academics will take first priority.

``We want kids to be motivated, to come to school to learn, to do homework,'' he said. ``We want them to say, `I'm here, I can get educated.' ''

The first step is removing problem students and transferring them to an alternative school, such as New Directions. As of Friday, at least 11 problem students were identified. They could be moved as early as this week, Gibson said.

Gibson agrees with parents who have argued that problem students are not punished swiftly.

He said assistant principals handle disciplinary problems but also have other duties. Therefore, paperwork gets stacked up and disciplinary actions get backed up.

``We receive about 20 to 25 referrals a day,'' he said. ``It takes 15 minutes to process (each referral).

``With referrals stacking up, a kid . . . may not be dealt with for two, three or four days,'' he said. ``I've dealt with a kid a week later and the kid forgot what they had done.''

Much of that won't change. Gibson said the school can't afford an administrative assistant, who could help facilitate the process.

In fact, when the brawl broke, Gibson was at the district's central office thumbing through applications in search of a secretary.

But discipline and staff shortages aren't the only issues that face the novice principal.

Parents believe the school is crowded and often refer to Wilson as a ``dumping ground.''

``A dumping ground?'' he asked in response. ``I've heard it, but you know, I can't agree until I see it. I don't see that Wilson is treated any differently than the other schools,'' he said.

Parent Scott Pease has been a vocal critic of Gibson and district officials. He said his and other parents' concerns for safety are not being taken seriously. He said the principal has been ``putting on a show for the cameras'' instead of addressing issues.

``I don't think he (Gibson) or the other administrators have gotten their act together,'' said Pease, whose daughter Trisha Buckland attends the school.

``From what I understand he's no more than a puppet for Richard Trumble and the rest of the school board.''

Gibson dismissed Pease's comments and said they're part of a longstanding gripe Pease has with the district.

``What we have done here is not a show,'' he said.

Along with detractors, Gibson can count supporters, including David I. Joyner, chairman of the School Board.

``Mr. Gibson's a good man,'' Joyner said. ``He's been all of a sudden thrown in the middle of a situation that he's still trying to get a hold of.''

Gibson was taken by surprise the day of the brawl, as he turned into the school's parking lot to see it filled with police cars and frantic students.

``I saw a lot of students leaving the building,'' he said. ``That kind of worried me. I didn't know what to expect. . . . Mr. Porter was giving the students a fit (lecture). He was letting them know how much they had disappointed him.'' Kenneth Porter is assistant principal at the school.

``I was truly disappointed because I believe in these students,'' Gibson said.

He had walked the halls with the students in the mornings and bonded with them when he took over as principal.

Since the brawl, the school system has taken several measures to get Wilson back on track. Stationary metal detectors were installed and security guards were added immediately following the incident. The crisis management plan was then put in place.

``The situation has not at all made me question myself or leadership ability. But it has definitely strengthened me.''

He said it has made him more sure of himself as a principal. He feels better able to communicate with parents and school officials.

During his daily routine, he continues to monitor halls and usher students to class. It's his way of staying optimistic about what lies ahead. In response to his critics' call to step down, Gibson answers:

``Am I planning on resigning, no way.

``Am I anticipating moving? I think I am a good principal. I'm an asset to the system and I think that only the future will tell.'' ILLUSTRATION: HUY NGUYEN/File color photo

William Gibson and assistant principal Susan Bechtol consult at a

PTSA meeting. KEYWORDS: ASSAULT RIOT WILSON HIGH SCHOOL

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu