The following is a first look at the “What Makes a Great High School?” feature from our October issue. Look for more stories on our website this week.
Thomas Jefferson High School Principal Cherita Sears (Photo by Jay Paul)
Thirteen of Richmond’s 40 public schools opened with new principals this fall. One of those principals, Cherita Sears, sought out the top job at Thomas Jefferson High School after five years at Albert Hill Middle School, first as assistant principal and then principal. Her goal, she says, is to continue to build relationships.
“High school is my first love,” Sears says. “I wanted to stay in Richmond Public Schools and stay with my families,” many of whom come from Albert Hill.
Sears, 42, is from Hampton but also claims Isle of Wight County, where she spent time with her mother’s family while growing up. She learned the value of relationships as she watched her mother and father, both educators, work closely with students and their families, often offering support that extended beyond the classroom.
After starting as a teacher’s assistant in 1999 and then becoming an English teacher, Sears considered a shift to counseling. Her mother persuaded her to move into administration instead. “She said, ‘I promise you, you will still be a counselor, but you will reach more people,’ ” Sears says. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Liberty University, then became dean of students at Chesterfield County’s Meadowbrook High School in 2012.
In her view, the best principals “give everyone a seat at the table,” to gather input and then take action, Sears says. To prepare for her first year at Thomas Jefferson (nicknamed “TJ”), she met during the summer with staff, teachers and students, asking, “What does a perfect school look like to you?” Those conversations were important in both directions, she says.
“They wanted to know my vision,” Sears says. “People want a leader, but they want a leader who listens.” It’s essential for administrators to use all tools at their disposal, including relevant data, she says, adding, “You need to see the strengths of other people and build them up. Data can show where we are and what’s needed; you have to embrace the data.”
Sears acknowledges that administrative shake-ups can be hard on a school. “Every time there’s a change, there’s a time of discomfort, because people don’t know what to expect,” she says. “But new administration, done right, can bring hope and passion back to a building.”
In March, Sears played a central role in responding to an incident in which a Richmond police officer used profanity and threatened a group of Albert Hill students after they had left school for the day. Sears says her engagement was automatic: She reported the event to the district’s director of safety and security, a former police officer, which began the formal investigation process. Sears says the conversations that followed were hard, but essential.
“Our community jumped right in,” she says. “[It] brought our school together. It was a bad thing, but it was a blessing to our school community.”
In the end, it’s the community that matters, Sears says.
“I love my students; I don’t do this to sit in a seat, or for the money. I do this to make my kids’ lives better.”
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