A Seniors Perspective: The Resignation of Principal White

In my four full years as a student at Bolingbrook High School, I have witnessed the reign of three extremely different Principals. All of which had their own personal strengths and weaknesses. In my thirteen years in the Bolingbrook educational system, however, I would be hard pressed to recall another phenomenon quite similar to the Mr. White era at Bolingbrook High School. Whether it was for the better or worse no one can deny that when Mr. White took over as Principal, the school's atmosphere shifted radically.
 
Even though several students, myself included, initially disagreed with the disciplinary system put into place by Principal White; his expectations were never really all that high. Go to class, on time, and do your homework was the maximum he ever really asked of us as students. As for the way he conducted himself as Principal; I can only recall minimal incidents of misconduct, all of which where small things said by Mr. White that in my personal view were inappropriate for the position he was in. That being said, throughout the entire first semester of my Senior year Mr. White was nothing short of a model principal. The test scores from my Sophomore Year to my Junior Year speak for themselves. Mr. White did an admirable job as principal in his first year at Bolingbrook High School.

When rumors began to circulate a few weeks ago that Principal White was fighting for his job I was equally shocked and appalled at the prospect of losing such a strong administrator over what I felt was simply him doing what he was brought in to do. However, anyone with any sort of high school experience would know that rumors are nothing more than just that: rumors. I was so caught up in this scandalous idea of the School Board forcing Mr. White to resign that I had forgotten just how out of hand the high school rumor mill can get. It was not until my younger sister, a freshman at BHS, came home with the most ridiculous of rumors that I began to do the research for myself. I am sorry to let the entire freshman class down, but just in case you were still wondering Mr. White was not forced to resign by Mr. Mitchem because they wanted to promote him from Principal to Superintendent. That is just ludicrous.

I was not surprised in the least bit by the uproar of anger and emotion left in the wake of the sudden end to the Mr. White era. Instead I was left in complete disbelief at the cult like following of the post-resignation Principal, spearheaded by radical students and the PTA. It is outrageous to see just how far everything has gone in just a few short weeks. The rhetoric out of the mouths of some of our community leaders has gotten to revolutionary levels, and blown a situation completely out of proportion. The most alarming rhetoric came from a mass email that read, "The success of our schools has a direct correlation to property values and the growth of local businesses. Everyone is a stakeholder in the situation. We believe it is not too late for Dr. Mitchem and the school board to reject Principal White’s resignation and empower him to continue implementing his vision for BHS."

While it is correct that the success of our schools can have a direct correlation property values and local business, Mr. White does not have a direct correlation to property values and local business. In fact, you could argue that he does not even have a direct correlation to the success of our schools. The man has only been a part of our community for a year and a half. He has only held one Principal position before heading to Bolingbrook. Was he greatly successful as a Principal at Pioneer High School and in his years as both a teacher and Vice Principal? Absolutely. Does that mean in the year and a half he has been here he now has a direct correlation to the success of our schools? No. This is nothing more than a greatly regressive, Stalin like scare tactic. It disappoints me to see such a beautiful community become so desperate over so little.

Does it not scare you in the least bit to see such a blind following of a man who has been here such a short while? Meanwhile the community continues to chastise a man who has proudly served our educational system for decades over an issue that is currently out of his hands. You want to know who does have a direct correlation between not just the success of our educational system but also the success of our community as a whole? Dr. James Mitchem has served our district since 1980. I am a member of the last graduating class at Bolingbrook High School that witnessed Mr. Mitchem as principal, and I can say without a doubt that he was the most loved and highly respected principal I have seen in all of my years in the Bolingbrook Educational system. I was proud of my community to see him take over as the Superintendent of the District. Anyone who has ever met Dr. Mitchem will tell you that he is no politician, he is a straight shooter. He will tell it just like it is and he has a set of moral values that is unmatched by anyone. I am ashamed to see so many attacks on a man who has done more for this town than almost all of his critics.

I understand the fear of a growing crime rate. I understand the fear of dropping test scores. I understand the fear of seeing poverty and waste in the city you love. However, people forget just how far Bolingbrook has come in the last fifteen years. This city has grown from a small plains town with just a dot on the map, to a thriving suburban community. We have grown so greatly, and with all growth comes a little bit of deterioration. It is okay to settle for nothing less than perfection, but it is way to soon for desperation. Have a little faith in a community that has grown up fast and is primed for success.