Rita

The David School, located in David, Kentucky, is a non-denominational private high school with a mission to serve struggling and underprivileged students. According to the David School website, the mission is to “provide a comprehensive educational program for Appalachian youth and adults who have limited financial resources and the potential to succeed in a non-traditional setting.” The David School serves high school students who are deficient in basic academic skills, and who are at-risk of dropping out of school and referred to them by public school personnel, social service agencies or parents. Furthermore, more than 75 percent of the students at the David School live at or below the poverty levels.

Administrators at the David School strive to create a positive environment for their students. The struggles students face, including Cody Perkins and Chris Johnson, include hostile and unsupportive family environments and a culture which includes gun violence. Administrators and teachers at the David School attempt to reach out to these students and provide them the resources and ability to be successful both academically and in their personal lives.

Rita Martinelli would continue this mission at the David School. As an administrator at Wilson Middle School, she served students who faced similar challenges as those at the David School. The student body was primarily lower-socioeconomic and racially diverse. Additionally, there was limited student management at Wilson due to the challenges and the lack of oversight by previous administrators. Immediately upon Rita’s arrival at Wilson, she wanted to ascertain the areas where inequities existed among her school and observe classroom instruction and student management techniques. Rita quickly realized the inequities and stratification that was occurring at Wilson and developed plans to bring the stakeholders together to determine what course of action should be taken to resolve the concerns of her students, staff, and community.

            Rita’s ability to identify problems and work collaboratively with students and staff towards solutions identifies her as a great leader. If Rita was the principal at the David School, her mission would be the same. Her desire to involve students in fine arts programs would result in the implementation of similar programs at the David School as a method of motivation and partnership among her students. Rita also has an ability to build relationships with her students and provide her students a valuable voice in determining the proper course of action at her school. Essentially, Rita realizes that her decisions effects the students at her school, and their voice should be heard. This is important at the David School, where students from multiple backgrounds and faced with different challenges all need individualistic attention in order to be successful at school.

            Rita would be a successful principal regardless of her location or assignment. Her techniques provide a unique opportunity for the students’ voices to be heard. She orchestrates an environment in which collaborative learning is fundamental. Students are motivated to perform well both academically and in the school environment through fine arts programs and other extracurricular activities. As principal of the David School, Rita would expand on her abilities to effectively lead the school by providing additional programs for students and reaffirming the sense of community among the students.