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| | | A steady light in a flickering system | | November 23, 2009 | | | | Voice Correspondent | | At 7 a.m., much of the District is still getting into gear, but Cheryl Warley is already at her post as principal of J. O. Wilson Elementary School. Eleven hours later, she’ll still be here, making sure all the students have made it out of the building, and that kids in after-school programs are properly situated.
In a school system that’s better known for problems than progress, Warley is a standout, and both her community and peers have recognized her efforts. This year, she is among just 63 people nationwide who received the “Distinguished Principal” honor from the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
A native of Columbia, S.C., Warley has spent 32 years in the District’s public school system, first as a math teacher at Eastern High School and Stuart-Hobson Middle School, then as assistant principal at MacFarland Middle School and R. H. Terrell Junior High School. In spite of this experience, when she was tapped for the principal position at Wilson in 2002, she began an education in the challenges of reviving a beleaguered institution.
“I used to pass J.O. Wilson going to work, but I never thought about it,” Warley says of the school, at 660 K St. NE. “When I got here, the discipline was a little off the chart, mostly with the young children. … Children were plagued with problems that had not been addressed. So the first part was to observe what’s happening and what’s not happening. We make sure our children are assessed and are placed properly.”
The first action she took, she says, was implementing in-school suspension. “Why should I send [a child] home? Because in most cases, that’s why they were unhappy,” Warley notes. Her program instead keeps troubled children at school but isolated from their peers — they even get lunch on a different schedule.
Warley and a select set of teachers and guidance counselors also enrolled in training to hone their skills in dealing with angry children, concentrating on bolstering the kids’ stunted self-esteem.
Wilson stands out as a legacy school in D.C.’s system: Many of the students’ parents are alumni. Encouraging parents to play an active role in their children’s education has been key to Wilson’s progress. Warley found that as the students’ academic performance and behavior improved, she was able to muster a greater sense of involvement among their parents. Once a languishing group, Wilson’s PTA is now a vital centerpiece of the school.
Though Warley is quick to deflect credit to the parents, it’s clear that her presence has been instrumental in that development. Warley gives further credit to the Friends of J. O. Wilson, a loose consortium of individuals and groups from around the D.C. metropolitan area. The Friends have been generous with time, spirit and money, with efforts that include one-on-one mentoring and tutoring, she said. And these relationships aren’t restrained to Wilson’s campus: The group has set up scholarship funds, taken kids on trips outside the city, raised capital for a new library and provided much of the impetus behind the school’s new showpiece playground, a bright splash of primary colors and smiling faces.
Warley feels it’s important for her to be in the midst of her students. “A lot of times I have my lunch in the cafeteria. Sitting at a table talking to the children, you find they enjoy being around you,” she says. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be here with them.”
A little after 10 a.m., as the school day heats up, kids are streaming through the halls, greeting their principal by name. “Hi, Ms. Warley,” come the calls.
“Sometimes I wonder if they know I’m the principal,” Warley laughs, setting in for her long workday. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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