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Le Andrea Ware bustles down the hallways at Howard High School, sporting her signature sneakers and a smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might be cute from head to toe. When I get to my toes, you’re going to see tennis shoes because I make it an effort to be out there among them,\u201d she says. Among them are her 1000-plus students who attend Howard School.<\/p>\n
Howard is the oldest high school in Chattanooga. It was built just after the Civil War and has been occupied every year since<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only been one year since Ware, who graduated from UTC in 1995 with a degree in multidisciplinary education and became principal at Howard, but she\u2019s already turning heads and making an impact. She has made such a difference that she was chosen as Hamilton County\u2019s Principal of the Year for 2019-20.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re not just Principal of The Year, but I like to call us Howard School of the Year,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Ware is a Howard graduate and, like many of its current students, she didn\u2019t come from a privileged background. Her mother worked three jobs to keep food on the table. \u201cTo come from that background and that understanding of having been a student here,\u201d Ware says, gives her insights on how \u201cto make sure every day is a great day for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n
She commands the room she enters, not with a boisterous voice but with a palpable air of confidence and a glowing smile. It\u2019s obvious that, wherever she goes, she loves her students above all else.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe job of the principal can be so busy sometimes. You\u2019re meeting with everyone\u2026 doing a lot of things that are necessary,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut I want to make sure that my kids understand that they are what\u2019s important to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about giving hugs, shaking hands and saying, \u2018How are doing? How can I be helpful?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Ware compares running Howard to running a small nation. She had to be diplomatic to get others onboard, but she also had to have a firm hand and make sure the faculty members were ready to be their absolute best \u2014 \u201creally solidifying a faculty and a staff of people who were believers,\u201d\u00a0 says Ware, who also earned a master\u2019s in school leadershipat UTC.<\/p>\n
The administration\u2019s commitment to students is strong. \u201cWe appreciate and value them, and we’re here for them, kind of like that extended family,\u201d says Ware. <\/strong><\/p>\n While a student at Howard, she was a member of Upward Bound, a program that helps underprivileged students graduate high school and gain acceptance into college. Ware credits the program for helping her succeed. The time she spent on UTC\u2019s campus as part of Upward Bound helped her connect to the University and gave her understanding of what to expect when she moved from high school to college.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not think I would have been able to be as successful\u201d without Upward Bound, she says.<\/p>\n She began implementing her goals and strategies immediately after she arrived at Howard. One major plan is the Future Ready Institutes in which Howard partners with local businesses to create programs that teach students more than math and English. They cover such fields as health care, tourism, robotics, architecture and construction. Ware believes the Future Ready Institutes can help all students no matter their future path.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a \u201cproject-based learning approach where kids have authentic, real-life learning experiences,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe build that positive culture and climate.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s also leading the way with a large demographic shift in the school. Previously, Howard was 98 percent African-American but now it\u2019s nearly 50\/50 Latino and black. Unifying the two cultures is one of her biggest jobs, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been really challenging for us, but it has pressed us to improve our craft and to make ourselves better.\u201d<\/p>\n And, whatever their background or heritage, Ware understands each student has different needs and needs to be valued for who they are. It\u2019s not just serving them in classroom, she insists. \u201cI always tell our people, if we don’t believe in our students sometimes they won’t believe in themselves,\u201d she says. \u201cIt requires us to believe in them to get them to have that self-confidence and build them to where they will believe in their own capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n As a graduate of UTC, she says the University is ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting new students, especially those with differing needs. The first year of college can be the most difficult, and she believes Howard needs to stay in touch with its students even after they leave.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we send our students out now, we try to keep that line of communication open and work with their colleges just to make sure that they can matriculate through that first year,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She says she didn\u2019t always have it easy at UTC and recalls that her academic advisor told her not to get anymore C\u2019s in her classes.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018OK\u2019, and I didn’t make any more C’s,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes, it just takes that person challenging you to a higher level of expectations to make sure that you press through.\u201d<\/p>\n Once Howard students graduate, Ware wants them to be able to say that she gave everything she had, adding \u201c210 percent every day\u201d to take care of them and make sure they have the best educational opportunities.<\/p>\n And success for students is traced far beyond her work, she says. It\u2019s everyone at Howard.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t do this alone; an administrator cannot do this alone.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n