By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The recent resignation of Chapel Hill High School Principal Jackie Ellis has sparked concern and speculation among some community members that the demands of the job prevent the school from maintaining a single principal for more than a couple of years.
Ellis announced her resignation in late January, and will continue as principal until March 20, after which she will serve as assistant superintendent for human resources in Durham Public Schools. She has served as principal since 2007, and said that while she will miss Chapel Hill High, the job prevented her from spending time with her family.
“It’s probably one of the most difficult decisions, and yet at the same time one of the easiest decisions … of course because it’s going to be much better for my family,†Ellis said. “I get my life back, and my family gets me back.
“There are some things that almost make the high school principalship humanly impossible.â€
Chapel Hill High has had six principals over the last 10 years, including two interim principals. Ellis replaced Karla Eanes, who served for just a year and a half. Mary Ann Hardebeck served as principal for six years, the longest-serving principal since 1999.
“Speaking in general terms, I believe that high school principalships are very challenging jobs and turnover in those positions is not unusual,†Superintendent Neil Pedersen said, adding that the job often demands 16-hour days.
Dave Thaden, principal at East Chapel Hill High School, has been there since 1996, when the school opened.
Regarding Thaden’s tenure as principal, Pedersen said: “Frankly, I don’t know how that’s possible.â€
Mark Morton, a parent of a Chapel Hill High freshman and also a graduate of the school and a former teacher there, said he suspected that the high expectations of parents and community members take a toll on Chapel Hill High principals.
Morton added: “My experience with teaching high school kids is that, contrary to conventional wisdom about their independence, they need quite a bit of structure. A consistent principal presence can add to the structure and normalcy of high school. Someone like R.D. Smith comes to mind from his time at CHHS, not as principal, but as vice principal. He was there for some time, and he was a steadying presence. Kids need that. The community needs that.â€
Jim Williams, parent co-chair of the Chapel Hill High School Improvement Team, said the Chapel Hill High community will miss Ellis.
“From my point of view, it is very unfortunate for CHHS that Jackie is leaving,†he said. “She has had a terrific impact on the school, and the long hours she has put in are really bearing fruit now. However, there is a lot of unfinished business at CHHS, so we wish she would stay longer.â€
Ellis said despite the demands of the job, she has enjoyed her work at Chapel Hill High.
“This has been an incredible principalship for me…. [T]his is an outstanding staff, a staff that has embraced me, a staff that has been more than supportive and a staff that, together, we’ve been able to make significant changes, great strides to moving our school forward to one that is student centered yet still academically challenging,†she said.
District officials plan to appoint an interim principal to finish the school year and serve until a replacement is found to begin the 2009-10 school year.