Nashville Community Members Participate In Principal For A Day Program

From the Metro Nashville Public Schools:

October 27, 2020

Leading a school isn’t easy in the best of times. The COVID-19 pandemic has swept in a whole new set of issues.

Yet MNPS principals continue to meet the moment, as more than 50 community members are getting a chance to see this week through PENCIL’s annual Principal for a Day celebration, which runs through Friday, October 30. The community members are connecting with principals across the district to watch them in action and get a better idea of what they do.

“Our principals have a very challenging job in normal circumstances, and the pandemic has added so many new challenges – challenges of planning, logistics, technology, facility management, communications, human resources, and more,” Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said during PENCIL’s virtual kickoff event to start the week Monday. 

“But our principals and their staffs have risen to the occasion day after day, week after week, month after month. They have never lost sight of our mission at MNPS: providing a high-quality education to every child, every day. That is what drives them 24/7.” 

Mayor John Cooper also spoke at the kickoff event and then visited Napier Elementary School virtually on Tuesday to read a story to two kindergarten classes. But first, Principal Watechia Lawless and her leadership team gave the mayor a brief rundown of the demographics and accomplishments of the school, which sits a few minutes southeast of downtown Nashville and was a Tennessee Reward School in 2019.

After Dr. Lawless, now in her fifth year as Napier’s principal, thanked Mayor Cooper for his support of MNPS schools and use of pandemic-related funds to help the district purchase new laptops for teachers, he returned the praise.

“You’re the people making it all work,” the mayor said. “You’re the leaders on the field getting the job done, and I’m grateful to each and every one of you.”

Other Principal for a Day participants this week include Board of Education District 3 member Emily Masters, Metro Council members Burkley Allen and Jeff Syracuse, Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk Lonnell Matthews, Davidson County Property Assessor Vivian Wilhoite, and representatives of numerous state and local government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits.

“Our annual Principal for a Day event is so important to give community members the opportunity to experience firsthand the many responsibilities of being the principal or CEO of a school building,” said Angie Adams, president and CEO of PENCIL, a 38-year-old nonprofit that connects MNPS schools to local businesses and other community resources.

“From coaching teachers and staff to motivating students, a principal is a critical leader who sets the tone for the experience everyone has inside their school building. We also find that many long-term PENCIL Partnerships begin from these connections, which is a great reason to facilitate the event every year.”

This press release was produced by the Metro Nashville Public Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.