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Walt Whitman High School
7100 Whittier Boulevard Bethesda, MD 20817
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Volume 56, Issue 7
New principal Robert Dodd to carry on Goodwin’s legacy of empathy by MEERA DAHIYA and KATIE HANSON Principal Alan Goodwin left a lasting impression on the Whitman community, putting students first, going the extra mile for staff members and even handing out the occasional Chipotle gift card. Many people were concerned his replacement would deviate too far from his administrative style. But new principal Robert Dodd said he plans to continue addressing student concerns when he takes over July 1, adding that he wants to maintain Goodwin’s open-door policy and organize student focus groups. “I was incredibly thrilled and really awed at the idea of being the principal of Whitman,” Dodd said. “It left me speechless.” “I’d really like to do some student focus groups right out of the gate,” Dodd said. “I’d like to hear from kids about what they love about Whitman, what they want to keep the same and anything that they’d like to change or improve.” Dodd, who has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, as well as a master’s degree and doctorate in educational leadership, has worked in MCPS for almost 25 years, beginning in 1993 as a paraeducator. He served as principal of Strathmore Elementary School from 2005 to 2009 and Argyle Middle School, a magnet school for digital design and development, from 2009 to 2015. Since 2015, he’s worked as a lead consulting principal, mentoring new administrators. In 2014, Dodd received The Washington Post’s Distinguished Educational Leadership Award. The Post recognized him for promoting a supportive learning environment at Argyle, a school of predominantly low-income students. To ease Dodd’s transition, Goodwin has met with him several times over the past few weeks, advising him on how to be a good listener and respond to community concerns. Goodwin is confident Dodd will be successful in his new role, he said. “I think that he’s very personable and friendly,” Goodwin said. “He’s very anxious to do well in his new role, and I’m optimistic that he’s going to be a good fit for Whitman.” Principal Alan Goodwin gives a speech at a May 15 pep rally honoring retiring staff members. Whitmaniacs hosted the pep rally, which included speeches from students, a student duet and a performance from Drumline. The retiring staff members have worked at Whitman for a combined 213 years. Photos by LUKAS GATES.
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Community members say goodbye to retiring administrators Goodwin, Easton, McHale plan leisure, family time in retirement by ANNA YUAN Principal Alan Goodwin and two of Whitman’s four assistant principals—Jerome Easton and Kathy McHale—will retire at the end of this school year. This year marks Goodwin’s 19th year at Whitman, McHale’s 34th and Easton’s 8th. Originally, Goodwin was the only administrator set to retire at the end of the year, and Easton and McHale planned on staying for one more year to help incoming principal Robert Dodd transition to Whitman, McHale said. But two weeks after Goodwin’s announcement, Easton decided to retire as well. He announced his decision in a May 4 email to the community. Easton said he wants to retire while he’s still healthy. “It’s just time. Every now and then, the right things just happen and you just feel that it’s the right time to do this,” Easton said. “I’m still young and still healthy. I still
want to be able to play golf, run, swim and do all those healthy things.” Four days after Easton’s announcement, McHale also shared her decision to retire in an email to the community, citing health concerns as a motivating factor. “I had hip surgery in the fall, and, four weeks after the hip surgery, I fell and fractured my femur,” McHale said. “When you have a bad accident like that, it just gives you a whole new perspective. I want to spend more time with family and friends.”
Easton: Whitman’s ‘biggest cheerleader’
Before becoming an administrator, Easton worked as a guidance counselor from 1984 to 2000 at several MCPS schools. Easton’s background in counseling allowed him to support students and staff during difficult times, assistant principal Kristin Cody said. “Mr. Easton is one of Whit-
man’s biggest cheerleaders in times of celebration and a tremendous source of support during difficult times,” Cody said. “He understands that there isn’t a cookie-cutter answer to every situation and works tirelessly to offer support.” Easton supervises several departments, including the security operations and social studies department and is tasked with evaluating staff members and dealing with student discipline, security guard Neal Owens said. Earlier this year, when Drumline was temporarily banned from performing at football games after miscommunication among members of the group, security and administrators, Easton stepped in to resolve the issue, junior Rob Lloyd said. “He definitely kept everyone’s different interests at heart, which was very important because he was really able to allow everyone to find common ground and reach a compromise,” Lloyd said.
As a supervisor of various departments, Easton has hired many teachers and helped them transition to Whitman, and many teachers say they’re grateful for Easton’s support. “It was Mr. Easton that was the one who gave me my job offer,” social studies teacher Katherine Young said. “So I’ll never forget that. He’s really been a mentor to me since day one of being here.” McHale especially values Easton’s ability to work well with others. “Mr. Easton has a calming presence in the building,” McHale said. “We work really well together because I can get real wound up, and he’s very calm and can bring things back down to earth. We all work as a really good team together.”
McHale: students recall caring nature
McHale has worked in MCPS for 40 years, 34 of which she spent
at Whitman. She taught health and physical education for several years at schools around the county before becoming an administrator 11 years ago. She oversees several departments, including special education, art and music. As supervisor of the special education department, McHale created and taught the adaptive PE class for students in the Learning for Independence and School Community-Based program. The class gives students with special needs a chance to participate in PE class and to socialize with their peers, PE teacher Nancy Kull said. Kull took over the program when McHale became an administrator, but McHale still works closely with the department. “Mrs. McHale is an incredibly positive person,” Kull said. “Her energy, excitement, sense of humor, flexibility and her ability to fit in really well with everybody just makes it great working with her.”
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