Gabrielle Brown
Greensboro, N.C. - Having an assistant principal has been a learning experience for everyone at Sternberger Elementary.
Before 2022, the school had never had someone in the role. For some, that could be daunting, but for Alexa Veach, it was an exciting opportunity to tailor the role to fit the needs of her school community. “In my first year, I focused on active listening, learning and building relationships while making minor, gradual improvements,” Veach said. During her first year, Veach prioritized safety and well-being and implemented several changes to the school’s crisis response plans and arrival and dismissal procedures.
The effectiveness of those changes was on display in September of 2023 when a neighborhood investigation involving a firearm spilled onto campus during dismissal. Ms. Veach says she and her coworkers brought students, parents and community members into the building and placed the school in a secure status until police cleared the scene.
Veach’s commitment to safety extends beyond crisis management. She worked with the school counselor to develop practices to support student mental health and worked with families of transgender and nonbinary students to establish single-use restrooms and facilitate gender support plan conferences. “For school leaders, the commitment to promoting equity goes beyond mere acknowledgment,” Veach said. “It involves a deep dive into historical inequities and a dedicated investment of time, energy and resources to address them. At Sternberger, this commitment is evident in our priorities. We are not just examining instructional practices to address barriers to student success and achievement but actively building open lines of communication and engagement with all families. We are challenging implicit biases and their impacts on discipline disproportionately. This effort is not passive but proactive, where I prioritize being highly visible in my school to build the relationship capital necessary to lead and move this work to scale.”
Since Veach's arrival, participants in the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey have ranked Sternberger higher on student support regarding social, emotional and mental health needs. Additionally, more respondents agreed that the school is a good place to work and learn, and 100% of participants confirmed that they know what to do in case of an emergency, natural disaster, or dangerous situation during the school day.
Winning Assistant Principal of the Year is just the beginning for Veach. “I see sustaining enrollment as a critical part of my leadership role in this school. There is no magic or secret sauce, but we have figured out things that work well for our community,” she noted. The Assistant Principal of the Year recognition is only the beginning of what promises to be an inspiring journey in educational leadership.
