Shopper news • JUNE 3, 2013 • A-9
Shopper News Presents Miracle Makers
Trent paints it red and black Prepares to leave Central High after four years By Sandra Clark “Grab your pad,” said Danny Trent. The man who is leaving as principal of Central High School tore out for a campus tour, this reporter jogging to keep pace. Like a politician, he worked the crowd. Spotting a maintenance staffer from the central office, he said, “Yes, those bathrooms are the same as the day they were fixed.” He referred to a refurbishing of the men’s and women’s rooms in the commons area, as elegant as any in town. The maintenance guy just grinned. “You’ve gotta have faith in (the students),” said Trent. “And keep the doors locked,” said the maintenance man.
*** Danny Trent will be the principal at Farragut Middle School this fall, replacing Heather Karnes who retired. He denies asking for the transfer, but says he’s looking forward to the challenge. Until Central, his background was in middle schools, and he was mentored by principals Jim Ivey, Bobby Gratz and Paul Williams. He says the four years at Central will make him a better middle school principal because he now understands what his students need to be successful in high school. “Changes are coming by the second (in education),” he said. All schools will implement the Common Core next year – another challenge for teachers. And another challenge for Trent will be his wardrobe. His closet is filled with red, black and white. He said his mom liked the change from Karns blue because the bolder colors “make your gray hair look good.” Now he needs new clothes in Admiral blue and gray.
*** Back to the tour. Wow! Things look different at Central High School. There’s an explosion of red and black. And no graffiti. The old nets that former principal Pat Mashburn had installed to combat roosting pigeons are gone, replaced by a wall and a banner in red and black that reads: “Dream, Believe, Achieve.” In the commons you’ll find those new restrooms with tile and wallpaper, new tables, a cyber café where kids can access a dozen computers while eating, a television dialed to ESPN and picnic tables outside. There’s new energy at Central and “you can feel it,” says Trent.
One of four new computer labs.
Danny Trent is moving to Farragut Middle School after four years at Central High. Photos by S. Clark
One of 24 student-drawn posters.
Scholarship boards like this one cover exterior walls at Central High School.
Posters and displays are a part. CHS staff have installed exterior signs with the names of scholarship winners. Up by the library, a poster proclaims students who earned all As in the most recent semester. There are students of the month and teachers of the month. “Paint is cheap,” says Trent. Hallways and the library boast 24 huge posters, hand-drawn by students copying artists from the old masters to Georgia O’Keeffe. And there are quotes and slogans everywhere, ranging from Walt Disney to Lil Wayne. “Yes, I know who he is,” says Trent. He asked both teachers and students to recommend quotes, and painted those suggested by teachers outside their classroom. Even classrooms are different at Central, especially in the vocational building out back. The old cosmetology lab has been converted to a health sciences room with hands-on training in CPR and patient care. Graduates get certificates and a head-start in college classes, Trent said. The old storage room is now a “home living” class for special needs
students who learn life skills including job skills at school. And a new culinary arts program to prepare students to work in the food industry will be launched this fall in what was the old woodshop classroom. “We’ve got 100 kids interested and the construction should be done by December,” he said. He patterned the program after a successful one at South-Doyle High School. Thanks to Title One funding, Trent has added four computer labs at Central. He says when testing goes online next year, Central is ready. There’s a professional development room where teachers can meet for planning. Outside, security fences have been installed at either side of the open building, and Trent says the entire campus will be fenced this summer. The building is being rekeyed for better security. The school office and guidance offices have been redone for better workflow. An assistant principal and counselor are now housed upstairs in the freshman wing so students can just drop in.
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Knox County Council PTA
So have these changes boosted academic outcomes? Trent says yes, but stresses that it’s all about timing. The standards were changed the year before he came to Central. Under the old standards, Central students were cruising with 60 to 70 percent proficiency. With the tougher standards, the percentages plummeted. In an apples-to-apples comparison over the past four years: ■ Graduation rate was 70 percent. Now it’s 87.5 percent. ■ Biology proficiency was 39 percent. Now it’s 72 percent. ■ Algebra I proficiency was 25 percent. Now it’s 57 percent. ■ ACT scores are up from 19 to 21.5. ■ Enrollment has grown from about 1,050 to 1,125. Trent uses sports terminology to explain his style. “I’m a recruiter. I hired teachers here that I’d want my own kids to have. … Sometimes you have good teams that don’t win,” he said, explaining his staff turnover. “Sometimes you can go stale.” He invited former principal Jon Miller back to the first graduation. “It was a healing point,” he said. When Trent was sent to Central he decided, “If I can love this school just half as much as Jon does, then I’ll be OK.” He encountered a frosty reception from a staff that strongly supported Miller. He just plunged in, attending every student event possible. “We set goals. I told (the faculty) I didn’t want to hear about schools out west or in Halls. We brought in instructional coaches (to help teachers). We kept working harder and started working a little smarter.” His after-hours efforts at Central robbed him of about 15 hours a week to spend with his own family, Trent estimates. “I’m fine with that and I didn’t ask for this transfer. I’m a team player, but it will be tough when I walk out this door for the last time.” Trent’s family includes wife Karen, a veteran kindergarten teacher at Farragut Primary School; and daughters Danyelle, a senior at UT; Lauren, a junior at Maryville College; and Maddie, a recent graduate of Hardin Valley Academy and now a freshman at UT. What’s he walking into? Trent says Farragut is a strong community with a good school. Heather Karnes has been his colleague for 20 years and he’s already walked the campus with her. Trent says he will always be grateful for the support he received from parents, staff and students at Central. “It’s been a good run. “We can measure scores and achievement, but we cannot measure the heart,” he says. “But now it’s time for a new venture.”
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