West Lebanon
Ginty, who is in her fifth year as principal at the West Lebanon school, announced her decision to step down last week in a letter to parents. Her last day on the job is June 30.
In an interview, Ginty said the highlight of her tenure have been efforts to create a student-centered learning environment, where children struggling behaviorally are supported by a team of caring educators.
“When you’re walking down the halls, it’s a very calm, friendly, warm feeling in the building,” Ginty said, reflecting on the school’s culture. “It’s something that we’re very proud of.”
Kindergarten teacher Michele Chadburn described Ginty as a hands-on administrator who is active in the lives of her students, and is known to celebrate their successes, no matter how small.
She spends enough time in each classroom to know that for some students, a task that might seem mundane, such as remembering to hang up a backpack, actually could be a major accomplishment, Chadburn said on Sunday.
Others times, Ginty has taken it upon herself to meet students at their homes to help them make it to school on time, she added
“I think she’s a problem solver, and I think she often goes above and beyond to help,” Chadburn said.
Superintendent Joanne Roberts said she will miss Ginty’s dedication and work ethic.
“She has been a strong advocate for students and families,” Roberts said in an email last week. “We share a student-centered vision, and much has been accomplished to move the district forward over the last four years.”
Ginty didn’t detail her future plans during an interview last week, other than saying there are “a lot of different things in the pipeline.”
“There will definitely be exciting things in my future. There’s no doubt about that,” she said.
Ginty took the reigns at Mount Lebanon in July 2014, when she replaced interim principal Mary Estee. At the time, Ginty, whose salary is about $95,000 a year, brought to the job nearly three decades of experience in Vermont and New Hampshire schools.
A 1977 Hanover High School graduate, Ginty previously worked as principal at Castleton Elementary School in Castleton, Vt., principal of the Samuel Morey Elementary School in Fairlee, and as a teacher in Norwich and Strafford.
She is also a co-founder of The Vermont Writing Collaborative, a method of teaching writing that emphasizes the importance of understanding, structure and craft.
At Mount Lebanon, teachers are encouraged to take a “trauma informed perspective” that keeps difficult students learning inside the classroom, instead of being separated from their peers.
The school uses behavioral plans, outside organizations and parents to help keep students on track, Ginty said.
“We really don’t have situations anymore where students have to be pulled out for extended amounts of time,” she said.
Educators are told to “reinforce, remind, redirect” students who have trouble following the rules, rather than simply punishing them for bad behavior. And they follow a “take a break” procedure, where a student can be asked to take a break either in their own classroom, a “buddy teacher’s” or the behavior support room.
The measures are all part of “The Lions’ Way” philosophy, which also sets student expectations, that Ginty helped form in her early years at Mount Lebanon.
The philosophy, which is outlined early in the Mount Lebanon handbook, promotes a positive school culture based in honesty, fairness and respect.
“All rules at Mount Lebanon School are based on The Really Cool Super Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated!” the handbook states.
Ginty’s reforms reached out to lunchtime as well. Rather than students eating lunch in a cafeteria-type space, students in all grade levels eat in their classrooms.
The change provides a calmer experience and better allows students to interact with teachers, who supervise the time, Ginty said.
Promoting better relationships with parents and the broader community were also top priorities, she said. Ginty hosts a regular coffee hour for parents, and often meets with those who want to share suggestions and concerns.
“There are some people who are not that comfortable in school buildings because of their own history with schooling, and we go out of our way to reach out to them and make the environment feel comfortable,” Ginty said.
Moving forward, Ginty hopes the school district will continue efforts to update its buildings. Administrators should also keep updating its goals to further students’ opportunities, she said.
“I couldn’t be more proud and pleased with the opportunity to have been here at Mount Leb for the past four years,” Ginty said. “I was lucky enough to come to a school that was ready to hear about some ideas, roll up their sleeves and really get right to work in what’s right for students.”
The district will begin advertising for a new principal in mid-winter, and the plan is to identify a successor by the end of the school year, Roberts said.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.