Here is an interesting question: how many building principals that you know have a building or a facility named after them while still alive and contributing to the profession? When you stop and consider this thought, you may feel that this would be a rather unusual event and certainly done for a very special school principal.
Well, it has happened and the principal was Mrs. Carolyn F. Bernard, the recently retired building administrator at Grassfield High School in the Chesapeake School Division. On October 25, a dedication ceremony and the unveiling of a dedication plaque took place prior to the evening’s football game. The plaque identifies the facility as the “Carolyn F. Bernard Staduim.” As you can imagine, it was a special evening for all of the Grassfield family of staff, students and parents. For Carolyn, it was a special event considering she served two years as the planning principal for Grassfield High School from 2005 to 2007 and retired from GHS after six years as principal in 2013.
If you have attended the VASSP Summer Conference/Exposition in the past few years you can certainly recall Carolyn’s effervescense, out going personality and leadership qualities that made her a valuable member of our organization and the VASSP Board of Directors. Carolyn has been a member of VASSP since 1995, served on the board as the representative for Region 2 and as VASSP President in 2011-2012.
The Chesapeake Division superintendent, Jim Roberts, summed it all up with a portion of his remaks for the evening listed below. Congratulations Carolyn from all of us in VASSP!
Today we celebrate the dedication of this stadium to Carolyn. Perhaps
we can say….the house that Bernard built…. She will always be
celebrated for the foundation she established merging student and
faculty groups together with the finished product being Grassfield High
School. Her tireless efforts will always be remembered when students
practice and play in this stadium and carry on the traditions she helped
to establish Grassfield High School as a premier school in Chesapeake
as well as the State. Not only will this stadium stand for athletic
excellence, but it will also represent the academic standing she created
in this school. Grassfield High School is one of the leaders in SOL pass
rates in all areas, on time graduation rate, and has the lowest drop out
rate in the south Hampton roads area.
I know Carolyn has also left her mark on this system by training
teachers and administrators alike to push for excellence in all that we
strive to achieve. The employees she has touched and guided probably
would fill this stadium. Her leadership capabilities have also been
recognized throughout the state as she has risen to the top position in
the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals. She was also
selected by the State Superintendent to serve on statewide committees
and as an advisor in many areas.
