Friday, February 14, 2003
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Friday, February 14, 2003 |
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Newnan principal calls it quits Alan Wood will retire at the end of this school year, after a 32-year career in education and 20 years as the principal of Newnan High School. Wood, a Newnan native and alumnus of Newnan High, announced his retirement as principal to school faculty and staff last week. His last day as principal will be June 30. "It was a very difficult announcement to make," said Wood. "I've always viewed (the principalship) as a lifestyle, not a job. Newnan High School is a part of me, as is the whole school system for that matter." "I can't imagine Newnan High School without Alan. He's Mr. Newnan High," said board member Smith Pass. "He's given two of my children diplomas. He's been a great advocate for the school and the school system, a great administrator. His imprint will forever be on NHS." Wood began teaching in 1970, "just a year after we became a unitary school system." He had been a student at NHS from 1963 to 1967. "I was in an unusual situation - I graduated from here and was heavily influenced by people like O.P. Evans and Homer Drake - heavily influenced that schools should set the model of what's right in the world." He taught science for only a year before accepting an assistant principal position at Eastside, which then served as an elementary school and junior high school for East Coweta High. East Coweta housed two schools, serving grades 1 through 4 and 9 through 12. He served later as a principal of East Newnan School, and then as an assistant principal of East Coweta High School. In 1983, Wood's old alma mater needed a top administrator, and Superintendent Robert E. Lee called on him. "I've enjoyed it. I've been very lucky because I love it, to this day," said Wood, who hasn't missed a full day of work in 32 years. "I fell off a roof one day, but I was back by 1 p.m." His reasoning is simple. "It's because I love what I do. As principal of Newnan High, I've been to the White House (on more than one occasion), met Deng Xiao Ping." He has also been interviewed on CNN and CBS, and participated in several national-scope projects. "But nothing enthuses me as much as looking into the eyes of kids. I'm a lucky one." Wood remembers seeing students wave flags at National Guard troops departing from the Newnan Armory, next door to the school, as they went on their way to fight in the Gulf War. He was at the school when the Newnan Cougars were led by great coaches like Max Bass and Robert Herring. "We were the first to play in the Georgia Dome, before the Falcons had a chance to play there," he said. The nature and challenges of education have changed in Wood's 30-plus years of teaching. "The school system and county have matured and changed and grown," he said. "It's difficult - and more essential than ever - to keep up communication between families and schools - hard, because we're no longer the gatekeepers of all the knowledge or the main focus of student's attention. We have to compete with the media culture." Wood has seen other challenges as well, such as an increased emphasis on school safety following Columbine. But for all the challenges, "we've still managed to make some dramatic progress in terms of student achievement. We don't realize, sometimes, that the kids today are better educated. The standards are higher for graduation, and we're offering AP courses that are the equivalent of what we took in college. We forget that." Why? Wood attributes two reasons in particular. "We meet each challenge because as educators, we know what we're doing, and for me it has been a pleasure to serve my career with well-educated, moral professionals, who have been as inspiring to me as they are to their students." The other reasons: "The public - our community - has always supported the schools. That makes a huge difference in our ability as schools to instruct, inspire and instill high expectations in young people. And when we do that, students will meet their expectations."
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