Joey Clinton - Ashbrook High School
Building relationships is important to Gaston County’s Principal of the Year
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the entire student body of Ashbrook
High School was coming to the auditorium for a special assembly. Nearly
1,500 students had been freed from their regular class schedule to see a
presentation by a celebrity musician. But as they walked in and took their
seats, something remarkable happened. Instead of a roar of conversation
and laughter from more than a thousand excited teenagers, the loudest noise
in the room was the muffled bang of wooden folding chairs dropping open.
Standing at the front of the auditorium, watching each class enter
the room, was the person largely responsible for this atmosphere of quiet
discipline.
In his four years at Ashbrook High School, principal Joey Clinton has
earned this kind of behavior from students not through fear, but out of
admiration and respect for a principal who takes the time to know them.
Clinton has also earned year-over-year increases in the graduation rate
along with improvements in test scores from the largest and most diverse
high school in the district. For these and other accomplishments, he is Gaston
County’s 2015-2016 Principal of the Year.
Walk through the halls with Clinton on a typical school day, and it
becomes clear that Ashbrook is a community built on relationships of respect.
Clinton knows students by name and greets them as they walk to class.
He explained that he makes a point to be out in the hall every morning
before school, at each class change, and after school. He spends time in the
cafeteria during each of Ashbrook’s four lunch periods.
Clinton said his leadership philosophy is to be visible and familiar. “It
opens up a different avenue for the students. I can help them in a way I
think is more effective. They’re not scared to come to Mr. Clinton because
they see me all the time.”
This respect is mutual.
“My favorite part of this job is getting to know and being a part of these
students’ lives. There’s no comparison there,” Clinton said.
The same respect and appreciation carries over for the nearly 130 staff
members at Ashbrook. As Clinton walks through the halls, he points out
individual classrooms and praises the teachers for what they’re doing. He
attributes the school’s improving graduation rate and test scores to the work
of his teachers, counselors and administrative staff.
8 • Jan/Feb 2016 • Parent Teacher News
For example, he said, the staff has focused on making the ninth grade
transition year a successful one, and after seeing students struggle with
math, the teachers have offered before- and after-school math tutoring as
well as Saturday school.
“It takes a village of people in your school to get a child graduated on
time,” he said. “There are some fantastic teachers here. I appreciate being
around people like that and gaining some of their wisdom.”
Clinton added that he’s made an effort to hire Ashbrook alumni when
possible.
“These individuals have a buy-in to the school. They want to see it
succeed,” Clinton said. 8