James D. Donnelly jr., the MetLife/NASSP 2004 High School Principal of the Year, exemplifies the foresight to think ahead, the wisdom to collaborate with colleagues, the resolve to take a stand, and the courage to take risks.
A school must train students to "go out to the world well prepared." This quote from Alfred Dolge, founder of Dolgeville, NY, a sleepy rural village located in the foothills of the Adirondacks, is more than the motto adopted by the administrators at James A. Green High School, which is housed in Dolgeville Central School with the middle level and elementary schools, and more than a slogan found in the hallowed halls of the home of the Blue Devils. It is the mantra found in the heart and spirit of the close-knit school community, and the words James D. Donnelly Jr., the MetLife/NASSP 2004 National High School Principal of the Year, has based his professional career on.
When Donnelly first arrived at the Mohawk Valley school 10 years ago, Green had a strong athletic component. Donnelly challenged students and teachers to raise their aspirations and strengthen academics to match the school's athletic focus. The challenge has paid off. Dolgeville Central School, and Green in particular, have made strides since his arrival. "I told the students that they could not go on counting on working for the Daniel Green Company," Donnelly said. "That offended some parents because there is a strong blue-collar, working-class tradition here, but we had to begin to build an academic tradition. I had to tell students and parents that we need to start preparing for a future we have not yet seen."
Unfortunately, his words were prophetic: The shoe manufacturer, an anchor of the local economy for nearly a century, has since relocated its operations from Upperstate New York to Maine, leaving in its wake a sense of economic uncertainty for the village. But things are not as bleak as they could have been, thanks in part to Donnelly's premonition.
"Daniel Green shut its doors seven years after I gave that speech. I can remember how difficult it was to try to convince students and parents that the world they were going to live in was going to be far different from what they were used to without disrespecting the traditions of the community," he said. "AJl too often in education we are driving down the road while looking in the rear view mirror. We base what we teach our children upon our experience, our background. We need to change the way we think about education. We need to start preparing kids for an unforeseen future."
In recognition of that vision, and of numerous other accomplishments, Donnelly was selected Principal of the Year. In nominating their principal for the award, a number of teachers noted that before his arrival only 27% of Green students graduated with a New York State Regents diploma. Since then, the percentage of students graduating with a Regents diploma has increased to 80%. Subsequently, the number of students taking and passing the Regents examinations in English, American History, Global Studies, Earth Science, and Biology has increased by 100-300%.
But Donnelly insists the credit for the increased performance and success of Dolgeville students is not his alone: "This is not my award alone. It belongs to many people. Without their tireless effort and dedication to our kids, this recognition would not have been possible. Every adult, each board member, administrator, teacher, teacher assistant, secretary, cafeteria worker, custodian, bus driver, monitor, substitute, and volunteer has played a significant role in making Dolgeville Central a great place for our kids to learn and grow.
"You'll never see a jockey carrying a horse across the finish line. It is a team effort. To claim exclusive credit for the achievements of the past 10 years would be to deny the hand of the Lord's blessing and the divine providence that brings people together."
Grassroots Support
Donnelly's belief in bringing people together governs the way he approaches his job. Donnelly strives to get as much input from as many parties as he can before making a decision: "As principal it is my job to set goals and get faculty, students, staff, and parents to buy into that vision," he said. "I realize 95% of the people who hear the message will buy into that vision almost immediately, but there is always that 5% that you have to work on to bring around. Most of my day is spent with 5% of the population trying to get them to come around."
Donnelly attributes his success as a principal to his collaborative effort with everyone in the school district, from faculty members and students to the custodial staff and bus drivers. "I believe you have to set high expectations for the kids and give the faculty the resources to go out and meet them," he said. "Am I responsible for raising test scores? Not directly. But I've aggressively sought out and hired the very best people I could find and helped open the door to some of the best inservice opportunities for our faculty and staff."
"He takes a transformational approach to his leadership style," Superintendent Sharon Colpoys said. "He tries hard to get as much feedback from as many people as he can so he can make an informed decision. At the same time he is also capable of going off on his own and making the hard decisions when he has to. he is not afraid to make the tough choices, nor is he afraid to admit when he may have made a decision too hastily."
"He has a lot of innovative ideas and he is not afraid to share them with Sharon, myself of anyone else who will listen," elementary school principal Christine Reynolds, a former teacher who worked under Donnelly, said. "We are always bouncing ideas off each other. We have our arguments, but in the end if you have an idea he is always willing to listen and if it is a good one, he is always the first to say go off and do it."
Among the innovations at Green and Dolgeville Central since Donnelly's arrival is the creation of the successful College Now program that allows high school students to earn college credit through courses at Herkimer County Community College. Donnelly explains, "We were the first school district in Herkimer County to enter the program and extend our academic offerings through an articulation agreement with HCCC, giving our students the opportunity to graduate high school with college credit hours without leaving our building."
Since its modest beginnings, the number of College Now class offerings has increased from one 4-credit course in 1993 to 11 courses that comprise 41 credit hours and offer students the option of taking challenging AP exams. Green students make up 30% of the 405 Herkimer County (NY) high school students who are participating in the program this year.
Donnelly helped develop and implement a block schedule to include a stronger academic intervention component to the school and to better the instructional climate. he is also credited with bringing a grades 7-8 middle school concept to Dolgeville to help students make the transition from the elementary program to high school. "When I first came here you had teachers all over the place. Some would teach a seventh-grade class one period and a tenth-grade class the next. I teamed teachers up to create a middle school concept so they could get together on a daily basis to go over curriculum and discuss their concerns and problems," he said.
Discipline
Collaboratively, a new code of conduct was established and implemented resulting in a 100-200% decline in disciplinary referrals. "I was hired to deal with a perceived problem with student discipline. If a kid disrespected a teacher in class he would be sent down to the office, the principal would talk to him and send him back to class," Donnelly said. "There was a lack of accountability on behalf of the kids, a lack of support for the teachers and it was my job to change that."
The change started by installing the belief that the most important things that happen in the school happen in the classroom. "We do not tolerate things that undermine the ability of a teacher to teach or an adult in the conduct of his or her job. Swear at a teacher and you are suspended for five days. Then we'll talk," Donnelly said.
he also said that every student and adult has the right to come to school without fear of harassment, ridicule, or assault. "We do not have fights anymore. We have spats, but we do not have fights. Fighting is unacceptable," Donnelly said. "I might not like what a kid does, but I do like each and every kid as a person. It is my job to convey and impress on him or her that there is such a thing as right and wrong behavior."
