By Steve Hanf
Pine Whispers adviser
Surprise phone calls during beach vacations tend to rank right up there with jellyfish stings and bad sunburns.
The news David Small received while at Myrtle Beach, S.C., with his family wasn’t all that bad, though. Small learned that he had been given the title of “R.J. Reynolds High School interim principal” for the summer as Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools officials continue to search for Art Paschal’s replacement.
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Paschal announced his retirement in April – effective July 1 – and the school system appeared poised to make a hire in June but re-opened the search. Initially, Small said officials hoped to have a new principal hired by the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 27, but it appears Small now will begin the year as interim principal.
In late July, teachers at Reynolds learned that a new principal likely would not be named until Tuesday, Aug. 28. Seven candidates will interview with the search committee on Aug. 10, with three finalists slated for second interviews on Aug. 23. The candidate picked by the committee will be submitted for recommendation to the school board on the 28th.
“Given the difficulty and profile of the job, I think time is not the biggest priority,” Small said. “It’s not near as important as finding the right person who is the right fit.”
Theo Helm, spokesman for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, said the system is “confident” in the job Small will do as interim principal as the candidate search continues.
“The committee did not find a person that it thought would be a perfect fit for Reynolds,” Helm said in an emailed response. “Members thought it was better for the search to take a little longer … rather than hire someone simply to meet a self-imposed timeline.”
Small expected a little downtime in July since assistant principals work 11-month schedules compared to the year-round duties for principals. But Small, who has served as an AP at Reynolds the past seven years, said he didn’t have any major plans that had to be scrapped.
“I lose a couple of weeks I would have had sleeping in a little bit, playing with my children, working out in the yard, going to Wet ’n Wild,” Small said. “Now I’m looking at ways to fit those things in and still be here.”
Small has busied himself with personnel matters such as hiring, classroom and parking space assignments; prepping for student orientation sessions and the start of the fall sports season in August; and planning for staff development when teachers return from summer break.
And for seemingly every event on his calendar, meetings: “All kinds of meetings,” Small said with a laugh.
Despite the change in plans that came his way, Small appreciates the experience. He did his student teaching at Reynolds, continued at the school for the next nine years as a coach and teacher in the physical education department, then transitioned into administration.
Leading a school someday is the next logical step for the 40-year-old.
“You need to have experience, and that’s why this opportunity is good for me,” Small said. “I have to put in my time, and that’s not just something people say. That time is real time, it’s experience, it’s gaining that knowledge and expertise so you can run a school and make those ultimate decisions. My time will come. The Lord will put me where He wants me.”
Editor’s note: Or maybe adviser’s note? Whatever the case, please note that former professional journalist Steve Hanf is not a regular contributor to Pine Whispers. He was, however, asked to produce something as part of the “Teaching Online Media in the Secondary Schools” fellowship being conducted at UNC this week. Instead of doing something random, he elected to cover some news during this week-long program. Enjoy! Look for Hanf to resume his roles of RJR English teacher, journalism teacher and newspaper adviser from this point forward!