Profile in Education: Principal Williams & Kent County High School

Kent County High School, ten minutes outside of Chestertown at the edge of an anonymous expanse of cornfield, is just removed enough from the mainstream to seem remote, mysterious. You may see buses come and go, but you don't see students congregating or laughing together, or get a sense that it is a cohesive education-focused community. Add to that the sterile facade of the building, the perception that the student body has been suffering from increasing social problems, including student fights, and the inconsistencies inherent in the school's recent history of revolving-door principals, and it's easy to understand how confidence in its quality can be negatively impacted.

Newly-appointed School Principal Tracey Williams is starting to make real gains in not only combating these perceptions but in returning the school to its former glory among the high schools across the state. Focusing her first year on the day-to-day climate in school, Principal Williams has been diligently working toward achieving her primary goals: making her school a "safe" place to learn; reducing by over 40% the number of "referrals" in a given year; and concentrating on the 95% of the student body eager to have a quality education.

Not so long along, Kent County High School was considered one of the best high schools in the State of Maryland, based on state achievement scores.Tracey Williams is determined to win back that distinction.