Stadium Memories: Castle by the Sound

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Castle by the Sound

Administrative style

I have been to Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico and countless other places. Castles I have entered, viewed from near and afar, but none have come close to the "Castle by the Sound."

Seven members of my family graduated from Stadium and I spent three wonderful years at Stadium with friends from Grant and Jason Lee.

My best story happened during my Junior year (1980). My twin Janell and I were walking down the hall near the main entrance one morning and standing in her usual place was the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Emma Walker.

She knew every student by name and would often call you over to make sure that you weren't straying off of the beaten academic path. Well she called the two of us over one day and she said,
"The SAT test will be coming soon, on a Saturday morning, and I expect both of you to be here."

I looked at Janell and she looked at me and then we both just looked at Mrs. Walker.

She then said,
"If you're not here come testing day; I will be by your home to visit your parents."

A statement definitely known to be true, because she didn't hesitate to come to your house.

To avoid her visiting our mother and father we awoke early on a Saturday morning walked to Stadium and we took our place among the group of testers. Waiting by the door was Mrs. Walker with a smile on her face.

We weren't too happy about the idea but we went ahead and took the test.

The fact that an Assistant Principal would even take the time to even care about your education was rare, but later well received. She was the best Assistant Principal I have ever had and I don't ever remember any other AP who knew my name or cared about my academics. As a result, we both graduated from WWU and continued to further our education.

The irony - we both became teachers and later I became an Assistant Principal.

My administrative style? You got it - I learned from the best at Stadium High and my students all 500 were expected to excel!

Mrs. Walker you were the best and thanks for making my experience at Stadium an AWESOME one!!

I hope this story helps :-)

Janice Richison
Senior Coordinator
Instructional Technology
Hampton, VA

Memories@CelebrateStadium.com

CelebrateStadium.com

1 Comments:

At September 02, 2006 , Anonymous said...: It’s nice to know that no matter how far we stray away from the bay, from Stadium, we always come back to it. Its also nice to know that so many of us, who are alumni of Stadium, have gone on to greater things and challenges.
Sometimes we have to stop and thank those who made such a huge difference in our lives. Mrs. Emma Walker did just that, had she not insisted that my twin and I take the SAT we would not be where we are today--for she was our beacon during a period of time when navigating the waters of high school, in an era of little hope, was crucial to our survival.
I don't get a chance to say it often, but thank you Mrs. Emma Walker for making a difference in our lives, our children’s lives, and in our country; for that which you have taught us, by example, has stayed with us and made us better people in an age when our young are so vulnerable and need guidance and caring. It is your love for us and so many who have come in contact with you throughout the public school system in Tacoma, that has allowed us to make a difference in the lives of the young that we come in contact with as educators, be it in Africa or New Jersey, on a daily basis--God Bless you for being a part of Stadium, and we thank you.
P.S. Before I pen off, I want to reflect on this story: I will never forget being called to your office for a problem I had with another student, and sitting there glaring at you, like, what is the point! I had been in your office before and I couldn’t imagine sitting in there any longer than I had to. And you looked at me, and said, "Listen here, Missy, you can sit there and look mean, glare at me, and even roll your eyes all you want to, but I am going to get a cup of coffee or something." And you left me sitting in your office, staring out at the bay for 45 minutes, and I didn't move an inch. When you came back, my head was down and I had been humbled by time, for you had left me in your office with your purse on your desk for what seemed like hours. And all I had to say was she must trust me and respect me, for no one in their right mind would do such a thing, let alone leave a student, such as myself, alone in her private office, but you did; and from that day on, I avoided you like the plague, and I never entered your office ever again.
Janell