Laurels for city principal who 'gets things done'

Karren Dunkley doesn't do things halfway.

When the news became public last week that one of her teachers had won citywide recognition for his work, the principal of Parkway Center City High School grabbed a plastic bucket and a stray piece of wood from the art room, rounded up two dozen random staffers and students, and led a drumming, cheering procession into the teacher's room.

"Wooo!" Dunkley shouted, her face alight. "Excellent!"

Dunkley is "no joke," student Caitlin Grant said, clarifying, "And that's a good thing."

Dunkley knows excellence. She is one of seven leaders being honored Tuesday as among the best principals in the Philadelphia School District.

She is a winner of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation's Distinguished Principal Award, which carries a $20,000 stipend for her school. The others are Robin Pleshette Cooper (Longstreth Elementary), Stefan Feaster-Eberhardt (Ethel Allen Elementary), Dana A. Jenkins (Roxborough High School), Mickey Komins (Anne Frank Elementary), Anthony F. Majewski III (Hill-Freedman World Academy), and William C. Wade (Martin Luther King High School).

Dunkley, who came to Philadelphia as a central office staffer, is in her second year as Parkway Center City's principal, where her seemingly inexhaustible energy and irrepressible enthusiasm were on display on a recent day.

In the span of a few hours, she monitored hallways, checked in on several classes, counseled students, dispensed snacks, discussed the school's budget, troubleshot prom planning, and picked up no fewer than 57 tiny specks of trash as she briskly walked around the school with a smile on her face, walkie-talkie in hand.

"Tomorrow - and this is really awesome - we will demonstrate to South Philly High how to use our Kindles," Dunkley told an English class piloting the electronic readers for the school. "You will demonstrate, and I will model for you."

Dunkley knows the name of each of her 500-plus students, even the quiet ones. She wears four lanyards full of keys around her neck, and is typically working on at least a dozen projects at once.

"This is a quiet day," Dunkley said, with not an ounce of irony. "We're a very organized, type-A school - I guess that describes me."

She was in perpetual motion Wednesday, but it was not a show for a visitor to the school at 13th and Green Streets, said Robert Mastrangelo, Parkway's math department chair.

"This is her every day, all day long," Mastrangelo said. "She wants us to be the best in the district. She wants us to be nationally ranked."

Dunkley grew up in Jamaica and came to the United States for college at St. John's University. She said she did not want to disclose her age because it is the "most-asked question" at Parkway Center City, and she always tells students they can't know the answer until they graduate.

After working as a teacher, principal, and administrator in New York, she entered a doctoral program at Columbia University. She came to Philadelphia with her mentor, Arlene C. Ackerman, and spent several years working in the district's parent and family engagement and academic offices.

But by 2013, she itched to return to a school setting. In her role as a central-office administrator, Dunkley heard the narrative every day: high schools were struggling, and young people were unprepared for college. She wanted to get back to the hands-on work.

"Access and equity matter," Dunkley said. "I know what public education meant to me and what it can mean to everyone. We have to deliver on that promise."

The staff of Parkway Center City, a city magnet that has long been known as a good but under-the-radar school, wondered what kind of a leader they'd be getting in Dunkley.

They found out quickly: one who demands a lot of her staff and students, but never asks for anything she's not willing to do herself - one who distributes leadership, listens to every idea thrown her way, and considers herself late if she shows up to work at 7:15 a.m.

"She has this energy; it's inspirational," said Leo Mullen, English department chair and 16-year veteran of the school. "It makes you find energy you didn't think you had."

If Parkway Center City has always been good, Dunkley has made it better.

She expanded its Advanced Placement offerings - from two when she started at the school to seven now, and nine beginning next school year. The school offers dual enrollment with Arcadia University, and starting in the fall will have an "early college" model allowing students to emerge from high school with a diploma and an associate's degree.

She has attracted partnerships with universities and organizations that help prepare students for college and deal with social and emotional needs. Demand for the school is rising - this year, 3,000 students applied for 150 seats in the freshman class.

Her job is not an easy one, Dunkley admits: a bleak district budget means principals do everything, from serving as instructional leaders to functioning as nurses and even cleaners on most days.

But there's no question as to what motivates Dunkley.

"The scholars," she said. "They're delicious. They come to us with so many different things happening at home, but when they're here, it's magic."

Students feed off Dunkley's energy.

"She gets things done," was sophomore Christine Ha's admiring assessment of her principal.

"She gets on the loudspeaker and just makes you laugh," junior Tahmir Smith said. "I've never had a principal that was so in tune with the children."

The Lindback Foundation 2015 Principal Awards are scheduled to be given at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Prince Music Theater.

The winners are:

Robin Pleshette Cooper, William C. Longstreth Elementary. Cooper has been principal of Longstreth for 10 years, and believes in empowering staff to share in the decision-making process. She has built partnerships with churches and police to implement mentoring programs for at-risk youth, created a principal and police forum to address climate issues, and works with colleagues to share best instructional practices.

Stefan Feaster-Eberhardt, Ethel Allen Promise Academy. Eberhardt's mantra is "do what is best for students," and she has dedicated her life to educating children in the Philadelphia School District. She previously worked as principal of Harrison Elementary, and Roberto Clemente, Baldi, and Wilson Middle Schools.

Mickey Komins, Anne Frank Elementary School. Komins began his career as a physical education teacher at Sheridan Elementary School, where he worked for eight years. At Anne Frank, he worked as dean of students and assistant principal before becoming principal.

Karren Dunkley, Parkway Center City High School. Dunkley focuses on strong academic results and invests in establishing authentic relationships among students, staff, and families. Her vision for Parkway Center City is clear: ensuring equity, access, and excellence for all children and their families.

Anthony F. Majewski III, Hill-Freedman World Academy. Majewski leads Hill-Freedman, a magnet school that recently expanded to take in both middle and high school students. Hill-Freedman supports a significant population of students with complex support needs, and under his leadership, the school was authorized as an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program.

Dana A. Jenkins, Roxborough High School. Jenkins, a product of the Philadelphia School District herself, has worked in the school system since 1997. She has worked in a number of jobs in the district, including special education teacher, National Board Certified English teacher, school growth teacher, assistant principal, and principal.

William C. Wade, Martin Luther King High School. Wade has spent the last 15 years focusing on closing the gap of student achievement and encouraging better student performance. He managed the merger of King and Germantown High Schools, and has been featured in national documentaries and guest lectured at the Summer Institute of Educators, hosted by Harvard University.

Source: Philadelphia School DistrictEndText

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