Gary Roosevelt gets interim principal
By Carole Carlson ccarlson@post-trib.com/648-3154 February 20, 2013 10:31AM
GARY — Turnaround operator EdisonLearning Inc. named educator Donna Henry Tuesday as interim principal at the Roosevelt College and Career Academy, replacing Principal Terrance Little.
Little bolted from the school last week and accepted a job at the Gary Community School Corp., the district Roosevelt was removed from by the state after years of poor academic performance.
On Feb. 12, the Gary School Board hired Little as a turnaround specialist to improve the district’s ‘F’ schools. Last fall, eight Gary school received ‘F’s,’ in state accountability results.
Little declined to comment after his hiring, which caught EdisonLearning officials by surprise.
EdisonLearning Vice President and Roosevelt Superintendent Vanessa Ronketto addressed Little’s departure in a statement released Tuesday. The same statement was sent to parents of Roosevelt students. “We appreciate the contributions made by Terrance Little, and recognize the significant role he has played in helping to establish a foundation for quality learning at Theodore Roosevelt College and Career Academy. Everyone associated with Theodore Roosevelt wishes him the very best in his future endeavors,” she said.
She praised the school’s strong history and its team of dedicated educators who she said are “deeply committed” to the school long-term success. “It is a team constructed so that the departure of one individual will in no way impact the positive goals and outcomes of the entire team,” she said.
Henry is serving as director of Roosevelt’s Collegiate Academy. Ronketto called her an accomplished teacher and educator. Previously, she was academy director for the Chicago International Charter School’s Longwood campus. She has a master’s degree from St. Xavier University and a bachelor’s degree in education from Illinois State University.
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