Principal returns to scene of student days

New Lackey chief Short comes ‘home’

Friday, July 11, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by JOANY NAZDIN James Short became principal July 4 of Henry E. Lackey High School, his alma mater. ‘‘I took a step back in time when I walked in the door,” he says. ‘‘... Yes, it is great to be back.” E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Short, a 1977 graduate of Lackey, was named acting principal July 4.

‘‘I took a step back in time when I walked in the door,” Short said. ‘‘I have such great memories of Lackey, especially my friends. We all stuck together, and we were a tight-knit group. We pushed each other to be successful since elementary school. Yes, it is great to be back.”

Roberta S. Wise, vice chairwoman of the Charles County Board of Education, remembers Short when he was a student in her algebra class.

‘‘James was a good student, a great athlete and a wonderful student leader,” Wise said. ‘‘He was a great kid. It is good to have him back home again.”

Short started his teaching career at Thomas Stone High School in 1987. He taught in Charles County until 1995, when he took a position at Montgomery Blair High School in Montgomery County as a special education teacher. He was an assistant school administrator at Blair before coming to Lackey.

Short said he was content at Blair, but decided maybe it was time to expand his horizons.

‘‘I thought about Charles County,” Short said. ‘‘And I thought about being a principal. I got lucky. Lackey was the school I always wanted to be principal of.”

Short is the nephew of Cecil Short, who was principal at La Plata and Maurice J. McDonough high schools before retiring.

‘‘I always respected what my uncle did,” Short said. ‘‘I also had several aunts who were teachers in the Charles County school system.”

Short remembers that when he was a student at Lackey, he thought about becoming a professional athlete.

‘‘I played football, basketball, tennis and ran track,” he said. ‘‘It made me appreciate that things like band, sports and drama are part of the total school experience. I encourage my students to join different clubs. It is all part of the academic environment.”

Short said his goal as a principal is to motivate the students, teachers and staff. Short feels that student respect for all staff is important.

‘‘The students have contact with teachers and other staff such as cafeteria workers every day, and they need to have respect for them,” Short said. ‘‘We will have order in this building.

‘‘I also want to provide my students with the best education that the county can provide for them, each day and every day,” Short said.

He is in a unique position, because some of his teachers remember him when they taught him as a student. Short has fond memories of his former instructors.

‘‘The teachers here at Lackey had a big impact on my life,” Short said. ‘‘They provided me with structure and inspired me to go to college.”

Short hopes to inspire his students in the same way.

‘‘Even if you don’t go to college, you need to be able to prepare for more learning in life,” Short said. ‘‘A person that does HVAC work still needs to keep up with the technology because it changes all the time. We need to give the students a good foundation for post-graduate studies.”

‘‘That is what Lackey gave me,” Short said.

In his spare time, Short likes to watch old movies, especially Westerns.

‘‘I like any old Western, but I really like anything with John Wayne in it,” Short said.

‘‘I also like to watch high school and college athletics,” Short said. ‘‘I like watching those games better than watching professionals play.

‘‘Lackey High School is an outstanding school in its own right,” Short said. ‘‘There are some great people that have graduated from Lackey, that go to work every day and raise their children to be outstanding adults.

‘‘I want to continue the legacy in producing outstanding Lackey High School graduates,” he said.