Oral history interview with M. Joy Leavitt conducted by Matthew Jackson on March 09, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Leavitt reflects upon her 33-year career as an elementary school teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District from the 1970s to the 2000s. She discusses her experience as a teacher and principal, her approach to school administration, and challenges that she faced such as being a principal at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. She also discusses some of her best experiences while being principal and the environments of different schools.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dr. Carolyn Reedom conducted by Kristina Knebl on November 22, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Dr. Reedom reflects upon her 28 years as a principal in Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). She discusses the process by which she became an elementary school principal, and compares it with when she served as a high school principal. She discusses her approach to school administration, and how her experience as a 27-year old principal of Red Rock Elementary School shaped her career. She also describes her experience with school desegregation, and explains why she believes it was desegregation instead of integration.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dr. Frank Roqueni conducted by Alia Rothstein on June 20, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Dr. Roqueni reflects upon his experience as a principal in Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). He describes the process by which he became a principal, his regular responsibilities, and challenges that he faced. He discusses the high expectations that principals face, and suggests that individuals not enter the principalship because of those expectations. He also provides his opinion on issues such as standardized testing and school safety.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Alice Wisdom conducted by Elizabeth Goodman on October 13, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Wisdom reflects upon her career as a teacher and administrator in Texas and Nevada. She describes the process by which she first became a teacher in Texas, and then the Bahamas in the 1970s. She then discusses how she was hired to teach in Nevada’s Clark County School District in 1979 before eventually being appointed as principal of various elementary and middle schools. She describes her approach to school administration and working relationships, and discusses colleagues who impacted her throughout her career.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Evans Rutledge conducted by Curtis Lind on November 10, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Rutledge reflects upon his 38-year career as a teacher and administrator in Alabama, Washington, D. C., and Nevada. He discusses his upbringing in Selma, Alabama and involvement in the civil rights movement, and how this involvement led him to become a teacher. He describes his experiences as a teacher and principal as an African American man, and how his life experiences shaped his approach to school administration. He also shares his opinion on contemporary issues such as immigration, school overcrowding, public funding, and programs such as No Child Left Behind.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Douglas R. Gougar conducted by Ann Dahlheimer on November 3, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Gougar reflects on his upbringing in a farming family, and describes how that farming ethic influenced his work ethic as a school administrator. He then discusses how he decided to become a teacher, and eventually a middle school and junior high school administrator with the Clark County School District from the 1970s to the early 2000s. He describes his philosophy for establishing relationships with staff and students, and the importance of extracurricular activities.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clarence Lawrence conducted by Rhonda Davis on April 11, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Lawrence reflects upon his career as a teacher and administrator in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He discusses his approach to school administration, and his working relationship with teachers and other administrators. He describes his regular responsibilities and challenges as principal, and discusses how different experiences shaped his approach to administration. He also offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration, and describes what he believes makes an effective school administrator.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joan M. Gray conducted by Kevin Gilmore on April 04, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Gray reflects upon her nearly 30-year career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). She discusses the process by which she became a teacher, and eventually an administrator. She discusses and compares the various schools where she worked, such as the Vegas Verdes Elementary School and Matt Kelly Elementary School. She describes her leadership style, regular responsibilities, and challenges as principal.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Barry Gunderson conducted by Scott Fiszer on October 18, 2002 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Gunderson reflects upon his 28-year career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). He discusses his approach to school administration, his regular responsibilities, and some of his biggest challenges. He offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration, and uses his own experiences to give examples of having to make difficult decisions as an administrator.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rosemary O’Brien conducted by Susan Caruso-Vaughan on September 25, 2001 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, O’Brien reflects upon her experience as an administrator with Nevada’s Nye County School District. She discusses her experience at Round Mountain Elementary School, and her experiences living in a Nevada mining town. She discusses her approach to school administration and programs that she implemented in the school, and compares working in the Nye County School District to working in the Clark County School District.
Archival Collection
