Four Virginia Beach principals step down

Several big shoes will need filling when four principals leave their posts at Virginia Beach elementary schools this year.

Longtime administrators Carolyn Garrett, at Arrowhead Elementary; Donald "Don" Clement, at Christopher Farms, Janet Duff, at New Castle, and Joseph "Joe" Badali, at Salem are retiring.

Four is about average for the number of retiring principals each year, according to the Virginia Beach Department of School Administration. The district has 57 elementary schools and principals, said Elizabeth Taylor, assistant superintendent of elementary education.

Gone are the days when the principal was a colossal figure, behind closed doors, only to be seen when trouble brewed, Taylor said.

Principals such as Garrett, Clement, Duff and Badali walk the halls, pop into classrooms and visit children in the cafeteria. Smiles, high-fives, handshakes and hugs abound when they appear.

Ask these principals - forever teachers at heart - what they'll miss most, and you'll hear the same answer. The children.

Carolyn Garrett

For Carolyn Garrett, whose last day is July 31, the decision to retire was not easy.

"My husband retired this past year from a career in mortgage and banking," said Garrett, who plans to travel and spend time with her two grandchildren. "He's anxious for me to be home with him."

Garrett, who is from Roanoke Rapids, N.C., started her career in 1965, student teaching second-graders and then taught third, fourth and fifth grades. Other than five years of teaching in Norfolk, most of her career has been spent in Virginia Beach.

She was assistant principal at Pembroke Meadows and White Oaks Elementary schools before she became assistant principal at Arrowhead and then principal for 19 years.

Among her most memorable experiences, she said, have been helping to promote the Character Approach to Problem Solving program. It was developed at Arrowhead and is the model character program for the city schools' Principles of American Citizenship international partnership with two schools in Northern Ireland.

She helped get the program implemented in Ireland, she said. "I feel like we made a difference not only within the city, but also we took it to another country."

The construction of the new Arrowhead school in 2004 was another milestone, Garrett said.

"I've always loved working with kids, little kids particularly, by that I mean elementary children," she said.

The mutual love for Garrett was evident at her retirement party on June 13, which was attended by more than 120 people, and the many parents who have visited her with their now-grown children.

"Children are kind, open and they love you," Garrett said. "As I said in my retirement speech to the staff, 'Nobody else can go in the grocery store and become a celebratory other than a teacher or a principal.'"

Don Clement

Don Clement arrived at Christopher Farms the same day the school opened its doors 11 years ago.

"I had the supreme honor of opening the school, and it's been quite a ride," he said.

Clement, originally from Pittsburgh, taught third grade at College Park Elementary before he became assistant principal at Bayside, Cooke, Shelton Park and Alanton Elementary schools. He spent nine years as principal at Kemps Landing Middle and another nine at Centerville Elementary.

"Each school brings its own set of memories," Clement said. "But watching a building being built from the beginning and being principal of it is the best memory."

With that list of schools under his belt and 35 years in education, Clement has decided it's time to relax, travel and golf.

His wife, Lonnie, also retired this year as director of elementary instructional services. "She was my boss at home and in school," quipped Clement, 61.

"I'll miss the kids, the teachers and the community. It's tough to walk away from," said Clement whose last day is July 31. "But hopefully, I've made a difference," he said.

Last week, he received a letter from an assistant principal at another area high school, whom he taught in third grade. The assistant principal told Clement what an impression he'd made and that he was responsible for the man's pursuing a career in education.

Clement, a resident of Indian River Plantation, said he always loved being involved with children and sought ways to grow and be of service to children outside his classroom.

Janet Duff

Janet Duff also had the honor of opening a new school, taking over the helm at New Castle Elementary nine years ago.

"I became a teacher because I always wanted to work with children," said Duff, 64. "I became a principal because I wanted to have my own school and do things for children."

But perhaps her most recent distinction in 30 years in Virginia Beach public schools will leave the biggest mark.

Duff was selected from among 57 of her counterparts and named the Principal of the Year by the Virginia Beach Association of Elementary School Principals.

"It's a wonderful honor," said Duff, who is originally from Kansas and lives near the Chesapeake Bay.

Duff, a grandmother of five, is ready to have more flextime, she said. "My husband, Dennis, and I want to travel and sail our boat together."

She wraps up 23 years in administration that included principal at Kings Grant Elementary and assistant principal at Glenwood and Holland elementary schools.

Before that, she taught fifth grade at Courthouse and John B. Dey elementary schools and at private and parochial schools in Georgia and Maryland.

Leaving behind the school she helped establish is the highlight of her career, she said. "I'm proud of what we've accomplished in this community; they recognize us as a great place to teach and learn," she said.

As do her fellow retirees, Duff is quick to credit the teachers, staff and parents at the school where she's waving farewell.

"I've been fortunate," she said, "to have a great team."

Joe Badali

When Joe Badali leaves Salem Elementary at the end of July, he won't step out of the classroom entirely.

Badali is set to lead another elementary school in Virginia Beach in the fall, but this time in the private sector.

Badali, 60, had planned to follow in the footsteps of his wife, Mary, who retired last year. Then she returned to work as a part-time reading resource specialist at Centerville Elementary.

Joe Badali got a call from Ralph Mizelle, retired principal from Glenwood, who was finishing an interim principal position at St. John the Apostle. "I went out to take a look at the school, and one thing led to another," Badali said.

"It's an opportunity to do something completely different and this brings me full circle because I started out as a student in Pittsburgh in Catholic school," he said.

Badali's teaching career began after a four-year stint in the Navy during Vietnam. "I was 26 before I was in the classroom teaching," he said.

"Teaching came to me through my wife, who's my high school sweetie," he said. After eight years of teaching - in classrooms at Alanton, Hermitage and North Landing elementary schools - Badali followed longtime friend and mentor, Don Clement, into administration.

"I saw it as a way of reaching more children than 30 at a time in the classroom," Badali said.

He became assistant principal at Cooke, Pembroke Meadows, Centerville and Indian Lakes elementary schools, and then served eight years as principal at Brookwood before moving to Salem in 1997.

Badali said it's difficult to leave the school, staff and students he's known for more than 30 years, but believes he's fortunate that he will continue doing what he loves.

"I'll miss the kids the most, but that's why I didn't quit," he said.

Sandra J. Pennecke, pennecke@cox.net